The Trip
by kimbee73
Summary: What happens if Sheldon decides he needs to talk to Amy before he leaves. This contains spoilers from the season finale. If you haven't yet see it be forwarned. This is mostly a Shamy but the other characters will play their parts also.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I own none of it.**

After Penny and Leonard left the train station, he reflected on the last words he had said to his girlfriend.

_Oh sure. And while we're at it, why don't we get engaged too? Why don't we get a little house, start a family. Enjoy our sunset years together. Do you hear yourself woman?_

He had been angry, but not at her. He hadn't meant to explode like that and he regretted it almost immediately after he got on the bus to go to the comic book store. But then he saw the store and he again saw more change. The store was in ruins and Stuart had been no help. Damn his sarcasm. He was only trying to help the guy get back on his feet. He left and went to the train station. He wasn't sure what to do next, but he bought a ticket out of Pasadena. He didn't even know if he would use it until they showed up. They started the whole thing. Well not really. It had started in the morning when President Seibert had said he couldn't change to Inflationary Cosmology. He was expected to work in string theory. He was hired to do it and that all the grant money for him was used for it. More chaos.

Leonard said he wanted to move in with Penny, but not with him. Of course they wouldn't. Had he really thought they would want to do that? But to suggest he move into 4B was unthinkable. He was in 4A first and that was where he was going to stay. He thought Amy would understand and she did. He heard her say that maybe he would enjoy living by himself. It wasn't like he couldn't afford to stay in the apartment. He made a decent living. He just liked having someone else there. Amy was right, maybe he could get used to living by himself. Why did she have to suggest they live together then?

_It was just a thought._

He heard her words again. She was right. She didn't assume like last time. She casually mentioned if he didn't like being on his own she was a viable option. She didn't push him.

_No here's a thought. You're not moving in, Leonard's not moving out, everything stays exactly the way it is. Yeah, and by the way I know you made that Strawberry Quik with syrup._

That was what he said when he stormed out of her apartment. Then he raced to the comic book store, and then to the train station. He was going to call her and apologize and even see if he could come back over, but then they showed up. Why did they have to track his phone? One time he wandered away too far and this is how much he is trusted.

_So a few things don't go your way and your best decision is to ride the rails like a hobo?_ Leonard could be so melodramatic.

Truth was he didn't want to leave just yet. But they made it easy for him. Penny was the one that talked Leonard into letting him go. She usually understood him, but not this time. He needed to be talked out of it. He was being a baby. He was running away from change. Everything was in chaos and it didn't make him feel good. But the thing was he couldn't leave until he spoke to her. So he made a decision, he called her. He wasn't sure she would answer after the way he had treated her so he was surprised when she picked up the phone and sounded relieved.

"Sheldon! I am so glad you called. I was so worried about you. I went to your apartment but Penny and Leonard were having a romantic dinner. They said they hadn't seen you. Leonard said you probably needed time to be alone."

"I thought I needed some time alone so I decided to run away."

"What?! What do you mean you decided to run away?"

"I mean I am sitting at a train station with a ticket to leave in a few hours. That is what I mean by running away."

"So you called me to say goodbye? Or are you calling to break up with me?"

"No I am calling to see if you want to come to the train station and talk."

"I can be there in 15 minutes. Don't do anything rash before I get there."

She quickly changed her clothes and grabbed her keys. She was confused. Sheldon said he was running away. She wondered if Leonard and Penny knew this or not. It was almost as if they had heard her thoughts when her cell phone rang again.

"Hello." She answered.

"Amy, it's Penny, we found Sheldon. He was at the train station and he said he was leaving Pasadena." She knew this but how did they know.

"So, you talked to him?" She decided she wasn't going to mention that she was on her way there now.

"We saw him there. He was in bad shape. He really isn't taking this change thing well."

"Wait, you saw him? When?"

"About 45 minutes ago." She answered her.

"And you didn't think to inform me? After I came to you worried about where he was."

"Um…." Penny didn't know how to answer. They had just run out of the apartment to go to the station. Once they were there, they didn't think about calling her.

"Well what did he say?"

"He said he needed time to think. He was going away. He didn't even have a bag packed. It's for the best, sweetie."

"You think Sheldon running away is for the best. You didn't think that maybe he could use someone to talk to about his problems? No you probably didn't. And you know how I know, because when I came over and told you that he had left my apartment upset, you didn't seem to care. All you cared about was being alone with Leonard. You guys are the ones who started this whole mess by telling him he was going to have to leave his apartment. Did you even think to ask him or did you guys just assume he would be fine with that? Again don't answer as I already know."

"We started it? You are the one who came over and said he ran out after you said that you guys could move in together. Did you think about that when you said it? Don't answer because like you I know the answer. No, all you do is push him, and now you have pushed him away."

"I suggested it after I told him he may enjoy living on his own. I never pushed him. I didn't have good timing but I never pushed him."

"Look we are getting nowhere fighting like this." Penny stopped it then. "We need to figure out how to get him to come back."

"I'm going to the train station to see if it is too late."

"I don't think that is a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Don't you think if he wanted to let you know where he was, he would have called?"

"Did he call you?"

"Well no, we tracked his phone."

"So he didn't call you and you talked to him. Well I am going to see if I can change his mind." And with that she hung up.

She arrived at the train station 5 minutes later and found Sheldon sitting on a bench near the entrance. He walked up to her and gave her a hug. He had not initiated any kind of affection in public since Valentine's Day.

"I am so glad you came."

"Of course I would come, I am your girlfriend. What did you expect me to do, let you run away without an explanation? I don't think so. And by the way, why didn't you mention that you saw Leonard and Penny?"

"You talked to them? Did you tell them you were coming to see me?"

"I told them I was coming to see if I was too late. She called me when I was on the way here. I figured you had a good reason to not tell me you saw them."

"What did they tell you?"

"Well I spoke with Penny and she said that you were in bad shape. She said you weren't taking all the changes well."

"I'm not."

"I know you're not and I know I didn't help by suggesting we move in together. I am sorry I did that."

"No, Amy, don't be sorry. You only suggested it. You didn't push it on me. I am the one who took it out of proportion. You have not made it a secret how you feel about me or that you would like to live with me. You have been nothing but patient with me for years. I don't deserve you."

"Sheldon."

"No, let me finish. I am afraid of all the changes going on around me. I know I am being a big baby, but that's how I feel. I have never been good with change. This morning I was told I couldn't change, then I was told I had to move, then we fought, and finally the comic book store, the one place I love to go when I am sad is a disaster. I didn't know what to do, so I came here. I bought the first ticket I could and that train doesn't leave for a while. Then Leonard and Penny showed up. Leonard tried to talk me into staying but then Penny told him he should let me go. I couldn't believe it, he just said goodbye. He said if I seriously needed to do this, he wouldn't stop me. I wanted him to stop me. I needed to be stopped. I am running away from everything."

"Do you want me to stop you?"

"No, actually I don't."

"Well what do you want from me?"

"I want to know if you will come with me."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews and follows. I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I know Sheldon is a bit OOC but not too much I hope. **

**As always I own none of it, I wish I did.**

"_Well, what do you want from me?" _

"_I want to know if you will come with me."_

"You want me to come with you?" She was stunned. She had half expected him to break up with her when she arrived at the train station. She never thought he would want her to go with him.

"Yes. I think it is the best idea I have had in a while. With all the changes that have been going on in my life, you are the one thing that has not changed. You are always there for me. I need you to help me through this. But I can't do it here. I need to leave the place where everything around me is changing and think. I need help in deciding on a career, I need help dealing with a change in living arrangements, and I need help finding a new comic book store."

Amy laughed at that last statement. Of course that was high on his list of priorities. One thing he hadn't mentioned when saying living arrangements was her living with him. She wondered if he was avoiding the idea or ignoring it all together. She thought the former. It would be easier to avoid the topic rather than fight about it again. She decided it was for the best. If she went with him on this trip, they would see what it was like to live together. Maybe then he would see what a great idea it was.

"Where were you planning on going?" She asked him.

"Well the ticket I bought is for the Grand Canyon, but if you come with me, we can go anywhere you would like."

"How long will we be gone?" She was excited at the prospect of travelling with her boyfriend, but she was unsure of how much time she could take off from work.

"I was thinking a month." Before he could say anything else she jumped in.

"A month! I don't know, Sheldon, how am I going to get that kind of time off work?"

"I have already taken care of that. The moment you said you would come down here to talk to me I made the decision to ask you to join me. I took the liberty of calling President Seibert. You told me last week you had finished your fear study and it would be another month or so before a second study was to begin at Caltech. You also told me you quit UCLA back in March. He has granted us both a month of time off. I have actually been granted 2 months but I think I will only need the one. I hope to make a decision as to my future by then."

"Are you sure about this?" She asked him. He really had thought of everything in just a few short minutes.

"I have never been surer about anything. So what do you say? Will you join me on this trip?"

"I suppose I have no choice, do I?" She said to him.

"There is always a choice, Amy. But I will take that as a yes. Let's go buy you a ticket then." He headed over to change his reservation to a two person sleeper.

"I have a concern though." Amy said to him.

"What is that?" He asked her.

"What do we tell our friends? Penny and Leonard knew you were leaving but they only think I was coming here to try and talk some sense into you. What do you think they will say when they find out you talked me into leaving with you?"

"You know what, right now I don't care. They are the ones who allowed me to leave. They are probably celebrating as we speak. The last words Leonard said were 'He just made that easier.' And he said it because I knew he would miss me. I am going to miss him too. I don't say things like that easily so when he said I'm going to miss you I said, 'of course you are.' Why did that make it easier for him to leave me?"

"I don't know Sheldon. I am sure he really is going to miss you. But sometimes when you say things, people don't take them the way you mean it."

"I guess you are right."

"Now the next question I have, is what are we doing about luggage? I have nothing packed. I know, from what Penny said earlier, you have nothing either. Should we go back and pick up some things or just leave?"

"Let's just leave. My plan, although not very thought out, was to stop at malls and buy what I needed."

"That doesn't sound very practical or affordable."

"I make a decent amount of money. I have been granted full pay while on this sabbatical as they are calling it. I know that is not normal but I know Seibert is glad he doesn't have to look at my 'stupid face' for a month at least. And you won't have to worry about money as I am paying for everything."

"Sheldon I can't ask you to do that."

"Well whether you asked me to or not, I am paying. I asked you to join me. It is only fair if I pay."

"Okay so when do we leave?"

"The train leaves at 8:15pm. We will arrive in the Grand Canyon at approximately noon tomorrow. I hope that is okay with you."

"It sounds great. It is only 6 now, why don't we run to a store and grab some things before we leave."

"Okay."

The two walked out of the train station and headed for the local department store. While they were in the car, Amy's phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Penny.

"It's Penny, should I answer it now and let her know what we are planning?"

"No I think it is best if we call once we are on the train. They may end up coming back to the train station to try and talk us both out of leaving."

"You may be right. I think I will turn it off until we leave, that way she will get the hint I don't want to talk to her right now."

"Good idea, I will turn mine off as well."

They arrived at the store and split up to pick up their own supplies. They agreed to meet 20 minutes later and said they would just pick up the bear minimums for at least 3 nights. Amy made her way to the woman's department and quickly picked up a few pairs of undergarments and a couple of nightgowns. The store didn't have the long ones she normally wore so she just got a few with pants. Then she got a couple of shirts. She decided she would get pants for the trip since the only skirts they had were real short ones. She also decided to get a pair of jeans. She hadn't worn them since high school so she was unsure what would be the proper kind to get. She finally settled on a pair of boot cut in her size.

Sheldon found plenty of character shirts but couldn't find the long sleeve type for underneath. He was frustrated but still picked up 2 flash shirts and a batman shirt. He got two pair of khakis and a pair of jeans. He also got some underwear.

They both picked up some hygiene products and met back in the front of the store 20 minutes later. Amy was looking through a magazine while Sheldon took care of the payment.

"Do you want that magazine or are we finished?" He asked as the last of the items got checked.

"I think I will get it so I have something to read on the train."

Sheldon paid for the items and the two headed back to the train station. Sheldon had picked up a large duffle bag so they could put all their purchases in to carry. They loaded it up and by the time they were finished they were called to board their train. 30 minutes later the couple were headed out of Pasadena and on their way to the Grand Canyon.

Penny and Leonard decided to invite the gang over to tell them the news. Penny kept trying to get ahold of Amy but her phone went straight to voicemail.

"She isn't answering, it's almost as if she turned her phone off."

"Maybe she has." Leonard said to her. "You told her he was leaving, maybe she wasn't successful in talking him out of leaving or maybe she was too late. She may need some time alone now."

"I don't like it. She was really worried about him and when I told her he was leaving she didn't seem annoyed except at me. She wasn't angry at all at him. He was the one leaving and all she could do was yell at me."

"People react differently in all situations. She was obviously angry, and since she couldn't yell at Sheldon, she took it out on you."

Just as she was about to say something else, there was a knock on the door. Bernadette, Howard, Raj and Raj's new girlfriend, Emily arrived.

"What's up guys?" Howard asked. "Why the last minute invite over?"

"We need to tell you guys something." Leonard informed them.

"What about? Did you guys break off the engagement already?" Howard asked.

"Howie!" Bernadette yelled at him.

"No, it's about Sheldon." Penny said.

"What did he do this time?" Raj asked.

"He left town." Leonard answered.

"What do you mean he left town? And where is Amy?" Bernadette asked.

"Amy came over a while ago and said that she and Sheldon had a fight and he took off. She apparently was trying to make him understand that it might not be a big deal to live on his own. Then she mentioned that if he wasn't happy alone, they could always live together. He was already angry that I had suggested he could move to 4B. He didn't take it well. Then he went to the comic book store. Apparently he had a run in with Stuart. And we all know what happened at work this morning. He is not taking the change well. He bought a ticket out of Pasadena to think. Penny has been trying to get in touch with Amy since she talked to her an hour ago. She was going to go to the train station and see if she was too late. Now she isn't answering her phone." Leonard answered her.

"Wait, you suggested he move out of this apartment today? Are you nuts?" Howard asked him. "This is his apartment. I can understand why he may have been upset. Today was probably not the best day for that kind of announcement."

"Did Amy talk to him with you guys?" Bernadette asked them.

"No, I talked to her about an hour ago. I told her that we had found him and he was leaving."

"Wait, so you told her after you had seen him?" Bernadette asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well I think I know why she isn't answering her phone. Did it ever occur to you that she is angry with the two of you? You found her boyfriend after she came over here looking for him and you didn't inform her right away. Then you call her after you have seen him to tell her he was leaving? I don't think I would want to speak to you after that."

"Yeah guys that is pretty low." Raj agreed. Howard just shook his head in agreement as well.

"He left because of her!" Penny screamed.

"Are you serious?" Bernadette was angry. "It sounds to me that he left because he can't handle change. From the way you just explained it, it sounds more like you are to blame. You knew he was having a rough day, and you brought up him moving out? Are you crazy? You knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. Is that what you wanted, him to leave so the two of you could cozy up in this apartment? Well I hope Amy found him and talked some sense into him."

"Hey I tried to talk him out of leaving. Penny was the one who encouraged me to let him go. She didn't even want to go and find him after he hadn't checked in after a while."

"That figures." Bernadette said angrily.

"What do you mean that figures? Sheldon is a grown man. He can make his own decisions!" Penny looked at her friend.

"Yes, but in this case did it ever occur to you that maybe he could have used his friends or girlfriends help? I know he isn't one for change, but running away isn't always the answer. I just hope if Amy didn't find him she can forgive him and you."

"So are you taking Amy's side on this? She suggested they could move in together! How did that help?"

"I'm sure it didn't, but that doesn't make it right you not telling her as soon as you found out where he was. I am not taking Amy's side. I think if anything I am taking Sheldon's side. He's had a rough few weeks. We all knew that and we have all had our own lives to deal with and haven't really been thinking about him. I know he is a grown up but he is still very fragile. You saw how hurt he was when Amy lied to him a few weeks back. She's been making it up to him ever since. I've talked to her. They have grown very close since Professor Proton's death."

"Really I didn't know." Penny said.

"That's because you were so busy with the movie and now with getting engaged, you haven't really had a long conversation with any of us. She may have thought the prospect of them living together wouldn't hurt him now. Like I said, they had gotten close. I just hope he doesn't ruin it for her."

At that exact moment, Penny's phone rang.

"It's Amy." She said as she was answering it. "Hey Ames, I've been trying to get in touch with you. Everyone is over at the apartment, why don't you come over?" She stood listening for a while. "So you found him?" Again she listened. " Are you sure about this?" She paused again. "Ok, well thanks for letting us know." She listened again. "Yes I will tell everyone. Talk to you guys later." She hung up.

"What did she say?" Bernadette asked.

"It seems she got a call from Sheldon just after Leonard and I left him. He asked her to come and talk to him. She was on her way to the train station when I called her. She didn't want me to know, in case he didn't either. Well it turns out, he apologized for the hurtful things he said to her. It seems they have made up."

"Oh thank goodness for that." Bernadette breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, did she talk him in to staying?" Raj asked.

"No actually she called from the train. Apparently, Sheldon asked Amy to come along on his journey of discovery."

"What?" Everyone asked at once.

"Yeah it seems he thinks this is the best idea he has had in a while. She said he needed her help. They left 15 minutes ago."

"Where are they going?" Leonard asked.

"She wouldn't say. All she said was they would contact us when they could and they would be back in a month."

"A month?" Leonard asked.

"That's what she said." Penny answered him.

"Well I guess we know why she didn't answer her phone." Emily spoke for the first time. "She didn't want you all to go after her like you did with him."

"I guess she's right. If they have been getting as close as Bernadette says they are maybe the two of them need this time together without interference from the rest of us." Raj said.

"We don't interfere." Penny interjected.

"We are always interfering." Leonard said to her.

"When?"

"How about the Dungeons and Dragons game?" Bernadette suggested.

"That was a year ago."

"Okay, maybe so, but how about when we told him how much he has changed because of her and then he went to break up with her. If we hadn't pointed it out he wouldn't have gone over to her place. Luckily that worked out because we called her to warn her. But we are always in their business."

The gang agreed.

Amy got off the phone with Penny and looked at Sheldon.

"What did she say?" He asked her

"She asked me if I found you. You heard my end. I told her what happened. She asked if I was sure and I told her yes. She said the gang was over and she would tell them for us. Then she said thanks for letting them know."

"They were all over already? I told you they were celebrating."

"I don't think that is it. Her voice sounded genuinely concerned. I think they may have been invited over to discuss your departure. She wanted me to come over too. Well until I told her I left with you."

"So that's it, they all know now."

"Yep."

"Well good, that saves us a lot of phone calls and explanations."

"I agree. What shall we do now?" She asked him. "Would you like to play Counterfactuals?"

"I wouldn't be opposed to that."

The two of them sat on the train and played for about an hour. Then they sat and held hands while they talked. It was like when they first met. They were extremely comfortable around each other and felt no pressure from anyone. They turned in around 11 and slept as soundly as one could while on a moving train. The next few weeks would be a test of their relationship.

**A/N: Feedback and reviews are always helpful. I hope to update quickly but I have so many ideas for this story I am trying to get them down in a normal order.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows. It warms my heart.**

**As always I own nothing.**

The train arrived shortly before noon the next day and Sheldon and Amy quickly made their way to a car rental company. Sheldon had researched some hotels while they were on while they were on the train, and they found one that met his ideal standards. He made a reservation for the two of them. After they got the car, they drove towards the hotel.

"Will we be staying in one room or two?" Amy asked him as they drove towards the place. They had stayed in the same cabin on the train and nothing bad had happened.

"Why would we stay in two?" Sheldon seemed confused. He knew they had never shared a room before and he was frightened of the prospect of what might happen, but he had invited her on this trip and he was determined to get closer to her. He wanted her help with his life. He knew keeping her apart from him would only make it harder. He had to share a room with her.

"It's just, we've never shared a room before, even when we went away at Valentine's Day, we had our own rooms. I guess I just assumed it would be the same now."

"Somehow it doesn't feel right to know I will be travelling with you for a month and be in different rooms. But just because we are in the same room doesn't mean anything will happen. You know I am working on that particular issue."

"It doesn't have to happen. We will get there someday I hope."

"You don't have to hope. It will happen, I promise. I just don't know when."

"So I am assuming we will be in two beds?" She asked.

"For now. I hope you are okay with that. While I enjoy holding your hand and kissing you now, I still want to take things slowly. Let's just start with sharing the room."

"I can live with that as long as I get to kiss you."

"I would have no objections to that." He said to her with a smile.

They arrived at the hotel and checked in. Since neither one of them had showered since the day before they decided to clean up before heading back out. Once they both had clean clothes on they left the room and went out to eat for lunch.

"What shall we do after lunch?" Amy asked him.

"Why don't we head over to the canyon and do some sightseeing. It has been a while since I have been here as well."

"That sounds good."

It didn't take them long to arrive at the visitor center at the south rim of the canyon. They toured a few of the museums and decided they would come back the next day and do a bus tour of the canyon. Sheldon nixed the mule tour no matter how much Amy pouted.

"There is no way you are getting me on a mule." He said to her

"You are so stubborn. It would suit you to ride an animal just like you." She laughed but she knew she wasn't going to win this particular argument so she gave up.

They drove back to the hotel and decided to order in. Sheldon had found a pizza place so he called to have one delivered. Amy took the opportunity to get out of the clothes she had been wearing and put on a pair of her new pajamas. She had gotten a pair of cotton pjs that were lightweight. It was extremely warm and she was glad she had decided on these as opposed to her normal bed time attire. Sheldon went to change shortly after Amy and he came out in a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He hadn't bothered to get a robe as he knew it would be much warmer in Arizona than in California. The pizza arrived 15 minutes later and the two ate in relative silence.

"It's still early; would you like to watch some TV?" Sheldon asked her after they cleaned up from dinner.

"Sure, see if you can find something we both can enjoy." She said to him. She went to use the bathroom.

They had recently found a show called _Person of Interest_ that they seemed to enjoy together. Amy had been trying to find something they both may appreciate. This show had been recommended by a colleague of hers the year previous. As it had just finished the second season and Sheldon couldn't think to watch a show that was on episode 46 when it would start in the fall, they had rented the DVDs over the summer. They both seemed to like it. It happened that it was Tuesday, the show was on at 10. It also happened to be the season finale for the year. As it was only 9:30, he found an old episode of _Star Trek_ that would end in time for the show to start. Sheldon settled back on his bed while Amy was in the bathroom.

"Did you find something?" She asked him when she came out.

"Yes the season finale of _Person of Interest _is on tonight. I almost forgot. It starts at 10. I hope you don't mind I found an old _Star Trek_ in the meantime"

"_Star Trek _ is fine for now. I'm glad we are somewhere to watch the finale together." She said to him. She sat down on her bed and began to make herself comfortable.

"Don't you want to sit with me?" He asked her.

"I didn't want to assume anything, Sheldon. I can join you if you wish."

"Well I would like you to sit with me." He said to her.

She joined him on the bed. He put his arm around her and she settled into his chest. They enjoyed the show which of course ended on a cliffhanger.

"Oh I hope they don't cancel this show like they did _Alphas._" He commented when it ended.

"I read yesterday that CBS has picked it up for season 4. So this cliffhanger should be resolved."

"Oh thank goodness. Well it's getting late and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Okay." She said.

Sheldon leaned over and gave her a kiss. This was the first time they had shared a kiss since they left the day before. He had hugged her and held her hand but this was different. And this kiss seemed to be different than the others they had shared. He seemed to be kissing her like he would never kiss her again. He wrapped his arms around her and she did the same. They soon needed to come up for breath.

"Well then, goodnight Amy." He said, clearly a little bit aroused.

"Goodnight, Sheldon." She answered him. Then she made her way back to her bed and settled under the covers.

_This is going to be a long night. _ She thought to herself.

He was thinking the same thing. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to kiss her like that, and right before bed too, but it just felt right.

"Amy?"

"Yes Sheldon?"

"Thank you for coming with me on this trip."

"You're welcome." She answered him and closed her eyes still smiling and feeling her lips tingle where he kissed her.

They both drifted off to a peaceful slumber, each of them dreaming vividly of the other just feet away in a different bed.

**A/N: I know it was short but I still packed a bunch in here. My husband and I love Person of Interest and as I am behind on the episodes right now I have no idea if it really ended on a cliffhanger. I felt that this was a show both Sheldon and Amy may enjoy together. I could be wrong and you are free to let me know. The next chapter is in the works.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Once again thanks for all the amazing reviews. You all motivate me to write more. This chapter is pure Shamy fluff. Enjoy!**

**And again, thanks to Chuck, Bill and Steve for giving me a story to build on, I don't own the characters they created but I like to take them out to play.**

Chapter 4:

They woke up early the next morning and after both showering and getting dressed, they headed down to breakfast. Sheldon had been very thorough in finding a hotel that served breakfast.

"So after our bus tour today, what are the plans?" Amy asked him.

"I was thinking we could call our friends tonight when we get back and then move on."

"Any ideas of where we are headed next?" She was curious.

"How about Denver and the Rocky Mountains?"

"Why there?"

"I've always wanted to go to the Rockies and ride a train through there. The only tour I can find though is in Canada, but I am hoping once we get there we may be able to find a day trip through some of the scenic spots. It was just a thought. I already looked up train tickets to get to Colorado. We would leave tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 and arrive on Saturday afternoon There is a lengthy layover in Williams."

"Wow that is going to be a long train ride. What do you want to see in Denver?"

"Well there is a zoo, and a nature and science museum. We could go and find the flaws there, like we do at home."

"Well then I guess Colorado is our next destination." She agreed.

"If you want to go somewhere else we can."

"Sheldon, I came with you on this trip. It is your decision. I will go wherever you want to go. You know that."

He smiled at her. Then he leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"Have I thanked you enough for coming with me?"

"A few times but you can thank me like that anytime you like."

He kissed her again.

"Let's get going so we can get that tour bus early."

The two left the hotel and headed back over to the visitor center where they purchased the tickets for the bus tour. Sheldon then saw there was a tour where they could take a vintage train ride through Arizona. It didn't offer any views of the Grand Canyon but it sounded like so much fun. They made reservations for later in the day.

The bus tour stopped at many beautiful locations along the Canyon. Amy took the opportunity to take pictures. She made Sheldon pose and then she would pose. They even had a few pictures taken of the two of them together. It was a wonderful tour. Amy posted a few of the pictures on Facebook, not thinking about the fact it would give away their location.

In one of the pictures, Amy was sitting on Sheldon's lap. She hadn't really thought about it when she posted it but about 15 minutes after it was posted she got a text from Penny.

_You two look awfully cozy together. I hope you are having a great time!_

"Damn." She said after she read the text.

"What?" He asked her

"I just got a text from Penny. I wasn't thinking when I posted the pictures of us on Facebook." She showed him the text.

"Which picture did you post?" He didn't seem angry just concerned.

She showed him. He just blushed.

"Well we do look cozy, as she puts it, in that picture. I'm not concerned. Leonard and she have had way cozier poses than we have. And I have been witness to some of them." He shuddered as he thought of them.

"I am impressed. I thought you would be more upset that our friends would see such a display from us."

"I came on this trip to 'find myself' as they say. I have to adapt to the changes. I brought you along for support and company. You are my girlfriend. Just because it has taken us a bit longer than 'normal' couples to get to a place where we feel comfortable touching, does not mean I should be embarrassed about it." He then leaned in and gave her a kiss.

"Well I must say, I certainly like this new side of Sheldon. A bit more laid back, but still the brilliant man I met."

"Why thank you." He smiled at her. They walked back to the bus and boarded for the last leg of the journey.

They boarded a van later in the day that took them an hour up to Williams, Az. From there, they were treated to a real Arizona gunfight. They then boarded the train and were entertained all the way back to the canyon by musicians, and entertainers. The scenery was beautiful. When they looked out they were overwhelmed by the beauty of the open space. This tour was made for Sheldon being the train enthusiast that he was.

"I wonder if Eric has ever been on this train tour before." Sheldon said to Amy. Eric was the man they had met on Valentine's Day. They had kept in touch via email ever since.

"I'm sure he has since is all he does is ride trains. But maybe you should ask him next time you email him."

"I will be sure to do that and if he hasn't, I will tell him how great it is."

They arrived back at the Canyon just after 7pm. They were hungry and Amy had looked up places they could eat in the area. As luck would have it, there was a Cheesecake Factory nearby and they decided to eat there. Sheldon ordered his usual burger, but had to make sure to specify he wanted everything on the side. The waitress told him it would be no problem and hurried back to the kitchen. When the food arrived, Sheldon was pleased to see everything exactly the way he had ordered it.

"Penny could have learned a thing or two here about getting orders right" He commented. She didn't work at the Cheesecake Factory anymore so it didn't matter.

After dinner, they headed back to the hotel. They decided to call their friends and let them know how they were all doing. Amy had sent a text back to Penny earlier after hers and told them to expect a call on Skype that night. The two pulled the laptop out and called their friends.

Penny answered the call and got Leonard to come over to the desk.

"Hey guys, it looks like you are having a nice time on your trip." Leonard spoke first.

"Yes we are." Sheldon answered.

"So are you planning on staying in Arizona for the whole month or do you have other plans?" He asked.

"We are planning on leaving here in the next day or two. We will be heading to Colorado next. After that we haven't decided."

"Have you made any decisions about your job yet?" Penny questioned.

"I've been thinking about some options but nothing definite since we've only been gone 2 days. Also, I haven't had the chance to run the ideas by Amy yet."

"Okay well I am sure something will come to you while you are gone. We miss you guys."

"We miss you too. But I am glad we are doing this." Sheldon said. Amy just sat next to him nodding.

"Well have a good time then, buddy and call us when you can." Leonard said to him.

"We will. Goodnight." He then disconnected the call.

"That went better than planned." Amy said.

"I suppose it did. They didn't seem too upset by our absence, except to say they missed us."

"Well we have only been gone a couple of days. It is only as if you are away for a weekend right now. It will be strange in another few days. Remember last summer when Leonard was away. After a week you were really missing him."

"I was not."

"Look I'm not going to argue, but you kind of were."

"Fine, I missed him. But I don't think he will miss me as much as I did him. He has a new life to lead now he is engaged to Penny. They will probably be planning the wedding and all their living arrangements while we are away. I wonder if she has already moved into our apartment yet."

"I don't think they would do that to you."

"You always see the good in people. They were chomping at the bit to move into the bigger place before I left."

"Maybe they will find a place of their own."

"Maybe, but I don't know."

"Well let's not think about that right now and get ready for bed."

Sheldon took a shower first and Amy followed. While she was in the shower, Sheldon flipped through the TV channels. He found nothing he liked so he decided to search the internet for a suitable hotel room in Denver. He found one that met his criteria and booked it. Amy came out of the shower a few minutes later and joined him on his bed.

"What are you looking at?" She asked him

"I found us a hotel in Denver and booked us a room."

"Okay. Will we need to rent a car there?"

"From where it is located, we should be within walking distance or a quick bus ride to the zoo and museum."

"What about the Rocky Mountains?"

"Well we may need to get a car or just find public transportation that will take us there. I can search that on the train ride tomorrow."

He turned off his computer and put it away. He got back into bed and pulled Amy into a hug. He then looked at her and gave her a kiss. She responded almost immediately and the kiss turned rather passionate quickly. They soon found themselves lying down on the bed instead of sitting up the way they had started. Sheldon's hands seemed to move on their own accord and he found his finger tangled in Amy's hair. Her hands were on his neck but soon move to his back. She moaned into his mouth and he took that as an invite. Soon their tongues were dancing together. He slowly broke the kiss but instead of stopping he kissed her neck and his hands found their way down a bit further. He was unsure of what he was doing but he wanted to explore a bit more. He nibbled a bit on her ear which elicited a soft moan from her. His hands worked down to her breasts and he hesitantly put one of his hands on her. He loved how it felt and she was again moaning. He felt himself getting tighter below the waist and knew he had to stop before things got out of hand. He wasn't ready for that yet. He pulled away quickly.

"We have to stop. I'm not quite ready yet." He said quickly. He was panting and his eyes were quite dilated.

"It's okay." She said to him. "I've told you I am willing to go at your pace. I am just as inexperienced with this as you are. We don't have to do anything else tonight. But what we were doing I quite enjoyed."

"I did as well." He smiled at her. "You are so patient with me. It's one of the reasons I love you so much." He hadn't meant to say it like that but it seemed the appropriate time to do so.

"Did you just say you love me?" Amy had tears in her eyes.

"Now why are you crying? I thought this would make you happy. I didn't mean to make you sad."

"Sheldon I am not sad. These are tears of joy. I never thought I would hear you say those words to me."

"Do you think I would just kiss anyone? I told you the night we played Dungeons and Dragons that I had never thought about having an intimate relationship with anyone before I met you. You changed that. I said earlier it wasn't an if it was a when. I would never think about doing things like that with someone unless I truly loved them. And Amy I truly love you."

"When did you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when did you know that you loved me?"

"Oh, I think I have known for a while but it really hit me right after you started working at Caltech. We had that disagreement when I embarrassed you in front of your colleagues. Penny and Leonard told me I was wrong. It didn't matter what my side of the story was, I was wrong. I began to realize I was wrong. I came to your apartment that night and told you that I liked you quirks and all. It was then I realized that it might be more than that but I wasn't 100% sure so I waited."

"Well that night didn't end well for you anyway. I slammed the door in your face."

"You're right but I deserved it. I basically insinuated that no other man would come to your door and put up with you. I should have known better. I know you have had other guys ask you out. Stuart was the first and then most recently that goon from geology, Bert."

"How did you know about him?"

"Howard and Raj told me."

"How come you never said anything to me about it?"

"They told me you were innocent and didn't need me to come down and take care of it. They knew you had no intentions of ever going out with him so it wasn't a big deal to me. Sure I was a bit jealous but I got over it faster than with Stuart."

"So you've realized for 6 months that you love me and you are just now telling me?" She seemed a bit sad by that news.

"No, it was 6 months ago I knew I was beginning to have stronger feelings for you. I knew it was love during my video console crisis. You offered to buy me two video game consoles and an entertainment center. What kind of girl would do that for her boyfriend? A girl who wanted to make him happy. And you really did make me happy, even if in the end I didn't buy either. I knew then that I loved you."

"But you never said it."

"We have had a few issues since then and my life has been flipped around. I decided to quit string theory. You took care of me when I was drunk that night. If I had said it then, you wouldn't have believed me because I was too intoxicated."

"I would have thought it was the wine talking."

"Exactly. You got sick of me talking about my next field of study and lied to me, when would I have told you then, as I was walking away with Penny? No I was angry then. I even told Penny I was going to take you to that disgusting Asian Fusion place she dragged me to as punishment."

_I would have preferred a spanking._ She thought to herself.

"And then Leonard and Penny got engaged. I had thought about telling you that night before they had announced their intentions but they took over the show and so did Raj with his big announcement about him and Emily. It all threw me for a loop. All the change was crazy."

"So you've been keeping this to yourself for weeks and now you figure is a good time to tell me. Right after we engaged in the most intimate things we have done."

"I know it sounds like a line from one of those romance movies you love so much. Guy gets girl to do what he wants and declares his undying love for her hoping for more. But I promise you it is not like that. Tonight just felt right. We had such an amazing day and I have been so glad that you came with me on this trip, it was just the right time to tell you."

"Well I guess you are right about timing. Oh and in case you didn't know this, I love you too."

"What's not to love?" He said to her and then laughed.

"Hey you were funny on your own, good job." She smiled at him.

He leaned in and gave her a long kiss but nothing else. It was very sweet. In that moment, the two of them felt the love they had for each other and nothing else mattered in the world.

She curled up next to him in the bed and they just laid there for a long time. Eventually they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

**A/N: I know Sheldon has gone way OOC but he is in love and finally realizing it. I hope you all don't think I did the ILYs too soon. I think this couple is deeply in love and need to declare it soon. If you don't think so I can take it. **

**The things they did at the Grand Canyon, actually can be done. It makes me want to go and visit there someday. Up next, Colorado and more Shamy fluff.**

**Reviews are welcome.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I don't own it, nope none of it.**

They woke up the next morning wrapped up in each other's arms.

"Well I guess I got over that hurdle." Sheldon said to her when she awoke.

"What hurdle is that?" She asked.

"The one where we sleep in the same bed. I thought it may take longer than 3 nights together, but I guess not."

"So does this mean we can share for the rest of the trip?"

"I would say so, I don't think I have slept that well in a while. It must be you." He smiled at her.

"I must agree. I haven't slept so soundly in months." She agreed.

They stared at each other for a few minutes and then Sheldon leaned over and kissed her. She responded favorably and they had quite the make out session before finally realizing they should get up and get ready.

"As much as I would love to spend the day doing this with you, I believe we need to check out soon. And if it is okay with you, I would like to go shopping before we embark on the next leg of our journey." Sheldon said a bit out of breath.

"Do we have to go right now?" She leaned in and kissed him again

"You are a vixen. Now get up." He swatted her rear.

"Fine." She said frowning. She got up and went into the bathroom.

He smiled as she walked out of the room. The truth was he would have loved to spend the day exploring just how far he was comfortable getting with Amy. But he had to keep them focused. He wanted to make the most of this trip. He wanted to talk with her about his career. He was beginning to think that he could handle staying in string theory. The only reason he even thought about changing his career was because of Kripke. If he had never made him believe that they were on a path to nowhere, he never would have considered another field. He still wanted to think about it though and talk to Amy and see what she thought about it.

He also knew he had to consider his options on what he would do with the apartment. He hoped Amy was right and Penny hadn't already moved in as soon as he left. He was definitely not giving up his apartment. He did think he may be able to live alone there, but it was his apartment and he wasn't giving it up. If Leonard moved out, he would then have to make a decision about another roommate. Part of the reason he had invited Amy on this trip was to see how they got along when alone together. Last year when she had explained what a perfect roommate she would be, he couldn't refute it. He just simply wasn't ready for that kind of closeness then. He wasn't sure if he was ready now. He knew he loved Amy, but living together was an entirely different story. He hoped she understood that. He wanted to be ready, but he wasn't sure yet. He was thinking about his options when she came out of the shower.

"You seemed lost in thought. Anything you want to talk about?" She asked him.

"I was just thinking about work and my apartment." He answered.

"Oh, is there anything I can help you with?" She was determined not to mention them living together at all during this trip. If he brought it up she would talk about it but it wasn't going to be her.

"Well, I am considering staying with string theory." He said.

"What made you decide that?"

"I never would have considered changing fields if it weren't for Kripke interrupting a conversation we were having about the primordial gravity wave. Leonard pointed out that I may have been a bit jealous because the field I was working in for 20 years had no tangible proof. Kripke made a joke about there being big news that day, which was untrue and then explained how he just collected grants and used the money for booze and broads. I then considered quitting. I don't why I listened to him."

"There is a reason you got into it in the first place. I know you told us it was because of the bully that hit you with the book, but there has to be more to it then just that. What was it?"

"I always knew I loved science. My pop-pop encouraged me to pursue it always. When I was hit with the book I picked it up and actually read it. It was so interesting to me. I knew that was the field I wanted to study."

"Well then why did you listen to Kripke?"

"I don't know. He seems to get me to see the error of my ways. You remember the fiasco of last year?"

"You mean when you implied we were more intimate than we were?"

"Yeah then. Well I went along with him because I didn't want him to know I hadn't gotten anywhere. Then he told me that I had good insights and I went to work on them. I then found out that I really was smarter than he was. I just had a temporary lapse."

He actually knew what his issue was then, he just couldn't tell her now. He had a moment of clarity right after they had played Dungeons and Dragons together. He had experienced the most intimate night of his life with her that night and the next day had the break through. His mind was clearer after that night.

"I knew you were smarter than Kripke. When you told me that night that his work was better than yours, I knew it couldn't be true. You are the most intelligent man I have ever met."

"Now I know why I love you." He smiled and kissed her.

"Well I know why I love you." She said as they kissed again.

"Okay enough of this hippy dippy stuff, I have to get ready."

"You're no fun, Dr. Cooper." She pouted.

"And you're trying to stall me, Dr. Fowler." He kissed her one last time and went into the bathroom to get ready.

They were ready to leave a half hour later. They checked out of the hotel and headed into town to go to the store. They had to pick up some more clothing and essentials for the trip. Since they knew they would be arriving in Denver on Saturday, Amy suggested they pick up laundry detergent so they could be prepared for Saturday evening. They went back to the canyon after lunch and stayed close to the train station. Their train left at 3:30 and would arrive in Williams at around 5:45. They then had a layover until about 3:30 in the morning before they could board the train that would get them to Denver late on Saturday. They had a brief layover somewhere in New Mexico.

"I guess I read the times wrong." Sheldon said after he had purchased their tickets. "I thought we weren't arriving until Saturday. Our hotel reservations aren't until Saturday night."

"Why don't you call them and see if they can take us on Friday night as well." She said to him. "Or we could find something else in the meantime."

"I don't know about that. I have researched the one we are going to for Saturday. I will call them now." He called and they were able to accommodate them on Friday night as well."It seems they have plenty of rooms available. We are getting a king size room. I know I said I didn't care about the money but it was a bit cheaper. Are you okay with that?"

"The question is a moot point. I am fine with us sharing a bed if you are." She said to him.

"I told you this morning I was fine with it."

"Well then it is settled. We will share a bed."

They boarded the train and started the second leg of their journey.

**A/N: They will be in Colorado next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know I promised Colorado next, but this idea sprang to my head while writing. They will be on the train in this chapter.**** I am going to rate this chapter M just to be safe. They progress nicely in this chapter. So enjoy.  
**

**As always I own nothing.**

In Williams, they decided maybe they should get a room and rest since the train didn't leave until 3:30am. They had dinner at a local diner and then settled into a room near the train station. It wasn't an ideal hotel room but it would work for one night.

"So you never told me what you thought about my idea for staying in string theory." He said to Amy as they settled into bed that night.

"I have told you before I will support you in whatever you want to do. I supported your decision to go against the table, I supported you when you decided to quit string theory and now I will support whatever decision you make as far as string theory. If you choose to stay with it, we will still be working together. If you choose another field and have to leave Caltech, I will be there for you."

"What happens if I have to transfer to another state?"

"Is that something you are thinking about doing?"

"No not at all. I was just thinking about what would happen to us if I am left with no other choice."

"Well, I think we can cross that bridge if it gets there." She said to him. "I don't think I would like it but I am sure we would make something work. I don't want to be the reason you stay somewhere you hate."

"The problem is I don't hate Caltech, I am just really confused."

"This is the reason we are doing this trip, right? We will work this out together."

"I guess you're right. We have 3 more weeks to work this out. I am getting tired and we are only going to get a few hours of sleep as it is. I think it is time to turn in." He pulled her in close to him.

"Goodnight Sheldon" She said to him as she snuggled in to him.

He leaned in and gave her a kiss goodnight. "Goodnight Amy."

They woke up at about 2:30 and each quickly used the shower and got dressed. They arrived at the train station at about 3:15 in plenty of time to make the 3:30 train. As they were both still tired they went to their cabin and pulled the bed out. They fell asleep pretty quickly. They woke up around 8:30 and both were pretty hungry. They made their way to the food car on the train and had a nice breakfast together.

As the train was not scheduled to arrive in New Mexico until 4:50pm, they made their way back to their room after breakfast.

"What shall we do now?" Amy asked him.

"I have some movies downloaded on my computer plus this train has free Wi-Fi we could always watch something on Netflix or Amazon."

"I suppose we can find something we will both enjoy. What do you have downloaded?"

"Mostly Star Trek and Star Wars."

"Now you know I don't want to watch those movies. And besides you've seen them hundreds of times. Why don't we see what is on Netflix."

"Agreed. I don't want you to be bored." He quickly pulled up Netflix on his computer and saw that they had both Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer streaming.

"Would you be interested in either of these choices?" He asked her showing her what he found.

"Penny told me Leonard had her watching Buffy a while ago and she didn't care for it, but Bernadette thought it was great. She and Howard watched it together. Let's watch it."

"Okay I will set up episode 1 then."

Amy sat down in the middle of the bed. Sheldon sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She cuddled in to him and they relaxed as they watched the first episode.

"What did you think?" Sheldon asked her after the episode was over.

"It was good. I can see why Bernadette likes it. I can also understand why Penny didn't like it. This isn't her cup of tea."

"She likes the hippy dippy romance stories more."

"There's nothing wrong with a romance every now and then. You enjoyed the movie _Her _last year."

"That's because it was about a man who fell in love with his phone. Not really romantic per say. Raj did that years ago and I thought it was brilliant."

"You think it is brilliant to fall in love with an inanimate object?" She looked angry. Had he not told her he loved her the day before?

"Um…" He knew he was in trouble but he wasn't sure how to get out of it. It could be a long rest of the journey if he said the wrong thing. "I said I thought it was brilliant, at the time. Now I can see there is no appeal to it when one falls in love with a real person."

"Good answer Dr. Cooper." She leaned over and kissed him. He kissed her back. Soon he deepened the kiss and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to receive his tongue and they kissed like that for a while. He then began to explore with his hands and ran his hands up and down her arms before finally settling on her breasts. He squeezed them gently at first which elicited a moan from Amy.

"I love you." He said to her as he began kissing her neck and nibbled on her ear.

"I love you too." She said and he kissed her strongly on the lips.

They were exploring each other. He kissed her neck, her ears. She ran her hands up and down his chest and back. It was an amazing feeling for both of them. Sheldon then decided he needed to try more. He slowly began to unbutton the buttons on her cardigan and quickly devoid her of the garment. Once that was off he slowly lifted her blouse over her head threw it to the floor. He wanted to feel more of her and he felt she was wearing too many layers.

"Why do you wear so many clothes?" He asked her.

"I like the clothes I wear. You have never complained before." She answered him with a laugh.

"That's because I hadn't thought about taking them off before." He said to her.

"Well I will say I think you have done a fine job getting them off."

"I do excel in everything I do."

He then rid her of her bra and looked at her in the flesh. She felt a little self-conscious about laying there with nothing on.

"You are beautiful." He said to her and set out to explore her again. This time he went right in to her breasts and fondled them. Her nipples turned instantly hard and she let out an exasperated moan. He kissed down her neck and then put her left breast in his mouth. He never expected to feel like this. He was just exploring but everything felt right. She arched up into him as he began to tighten below the waist. He ground into her as she reached up to rid him of his shirt. They were lost in the moment when a chime from Sheldon's computer indicated someone was trying to get a hold of them through Skype.

"Ignore it." He said to her and continued his exploration.

It rang again after 5 minutes and they ignored it again. But when it rang a third time, Amy stopped him.

"Whoever it is, really wants to get in touch with you." She said. "You should probably answer it."

"Do I have to? I was quite enjoying myself." He frowned. The computer went off for the 4th time. "Put your shirt back on. I don't want whoever it is to see you like that." He kissed her and grabbed his shirt. He saw that the call was coming from Leonard's computer.

"It's Leonard, can't we ignore him and call him back later." He said to her as she was getting her clothes on correctly.

"It must be important or he wouldn't keep calling. Oh I hope everyone is alright back home."

"I guess you're right, I will answer it." He opened the call.

"This better be good Leonard, Amy and I were in the middle of.." It was a good thing he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence when he heard the voice and saw the face of the person on the other line.

"Sheldon Lee Cooper you better have a good explanation as to why you ran away from home!" He heard the voice of his mother yelling at him.

Amy quickly hid from view as she was still disheveled from their make-out session. Sheldon was a bit frazzled as well.

"Don't hide dear I know you're there with him as well." She said to Amy.

"Mom, what are you doing in my apartment?" He asked her. "I didn't know you were coming to Pasadena."

"Well I thought I would surprise you. But when I got here, I ran into Penny who tells me you have run away with your girlfriend because you don't like the changes going on in your life."

"I didn't run away from the changes, I ran away to think." He tried to explain to her.

"That isn't a good reason either. Shelly I know you don't like change but you need to grow up a little bit. Running away is not the answer. And I find out you took your girlfriend with you. Are you two sinning?"

"Are you really asking me that? After what I saw you doing in Texas? I am not answering that as it is none of anyone's business if we are."

"I believe it is my business."

"No mom, it isn't. I am a grown man with a job. I live 1600 miles away from you. It is not your concern if I choose to engage in coitus with my girlfriend." Amy was blushing. He was defending his relationship with her to his mother. She never loved him more than right then. "And again I say, after what you and I talked about in April I would think you wouldn't judge so harshly."

"Perhaps you are right" She said to him. "But that still doesn't explain why you ran away."

"As I said a bit earlier, I needed time to think. The university has told me that I must continue with string theory. At the time, I wanted to quit. I wanted to study Inflationary Cosmology, but they wouldn't let me. Leonard said he wants me to move into the apartment across the hall so he can live with Penny now that they are engaged. Amy wanted me to…" He stopped his thought on that then said. He had almost revealed that he had run partially because of her statement about moving in together. He didn't want his mother to think she was pushing him into something he wasn't ready for. He wasn't sure how she would take a woman pushing to live with her boyfriend. "And then I found out the comic book store burned down. The changes were too much. I couldn't handle them. I left the comic book store and ran to the train station. I called Amy from the station after I realized I had been stupid about some of the things I said to her during a fight we had. I then asked her to join me on this trip. We are working through these issues together."

"When will you be coming home and where are you right now?'

"We are scheduled to be away for another 3 and a half weeks. We will be home sometime near the end of June. Amy's next study begins at the beginning of July. I have been granted a two month sabbatical. We are right now on our way to Colorado. We don't know where we are going from there. But we are happy and I would appreciate it if everyone could stay out of our business right now. I thought the group understood." He said looking at Penny in the background.

"But Sheldon…" She made to interrupt him.

"Mom, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but that includes you too. I need this time with Amy to make some decisions about my life. I hope you can understand that. I will call you when we arrive at our next destination and I will keep in touch with you. But please don't tell me what I can and cannot do. I am not a child anymore."

"Well I see you have made up your mind. I guess I can't tell you to come home. Please make sure you keep in touch with everyone. Penny tells me they are all worried about you. I love you Shelly."

"I love you too mom. I will call you when we arrive in Colorado. I will keep you up to date with our location as well. If you don't mind, can I have a word with Penny for a moment."

"Of course, I will just put my bags in your room." She left the room.

"Hi Sheldon, sorry I had to call, your mom was insistent that I get in touch with you right away."

"Why do I not believe she came there on her own accord? Did Leonard call her again?"

"No believe me, she just showed up here this morning. Leonard is at work. I was just leaving my apartment when she came over. She said she was here to surprise you like you did back in April. I told her you went away. She didn't understand and then I had to tell her the truth. I am really sorry we interrupted you."

"It is okay Penny. I know how my mother can be. Would you like to talk to Amy before we hang up?"

"Sure."

"I will go and pick us up some lunch in the dining car." He said to her.

"Okay" She answered him and he gave her a kiss. This did not go unnoticed by Penny.

Amy came over to the computer. "Hey bestie."

"Did I just see Sheldon kiss you?"

"Yes, but you knew we did that now so why should it surprise you?"

"I guess I am surprised he allowed me to see it. How are you guys doing?"

"We are great! Sheldon thinks he has made a decision about string theory and we are progressing nicely on intimate issues. And he told me he loves me!"

"He said what?!" She was flabbergasted. Sheldon always talked about not being like other people. He was a Homo Novus. He was immune to the hippy dippy feelings others had.

"It took me by surprise too. I knew he had feelings but I never thought he would tell me he loved me."

"I am so happy for you. And Amy, I am sorry we didn't call you when we found Sheldon the other night. I know now it was selfish of us. We should have told you."

"I can't stay mad at you for long anyway, but I do appreciate the apology. It did hurt to think you didn't care enough to tell me. But as you can see it has worked out for the best."

"I guess it did. I should let you go." But just as she was about to hang up, Mary Cooper came back out of the room. She had heard from the room that Sheldon was finished talking to Penny and now Amy was on the line.

"Do you mind if I have a word with Amy?" She said to Penny before she hung up.

"It's okay." Amy said. "Hello Mrs. Cooper, how are you?"

"I'm fine and you need to call me Mary. I want to talk to you about what I heard Sheldon say when he was telling me his reasons behind leaving. He may not think I noticed but he clearly said your name as part of the reason. What happened between you two?"

"I would rather you not know, if that is okay. I think it is between Sheldon and I. All you need to know is we have worked out our fight."

"Now dear, if you were one of the reasons he ran away, I am curious as to why he would invite you."

"I don't think I was part of the reason, I said something to him, he didn't need to hear at the moment I said it and we fought about it. It isn't a big deal and we haven't even mentioned it since that night."

"What did you say to him?"

"Mom, did I not ask you not 10 minutes ago to stay out of my relationship with Amy?" Amy hadn't heard him come back in the room. "And I leave the room for a few minutes and hear you accusing my girlfriend of being part of the reason I ran away. I am hanging up now mom. We will call you when we get to Denver." With that he disconnected the call.

"Sheldon, that was a little rude!" She said to him.

"No what was rude was my mom not listening to my request to stay out of our business. Why does she think she can control me like that? I am 34 years old. I have a good paying job. I have my own apartment. I have friends. I am not 11 anymore. She doesn't have to come to my rescue like she used to do. I wish she would understand that." He was really angry.

"I understand what you are saying. My mom tried to control me my whole life too. She constantly made me feel like I was doing something wrong. I think that is why I never made any friends. I was afraid they would not meet my mother's approval. Then she made me start dating. She wanted me to be happy with a man, like she was with my father. But she didn't understand that I didn't need anyone in my life. She just pushed and pushed and pushed. That is why when we started hanging out as friends I decided to introduce you as my boyfriend. I needed her to get off my back. I was happy with my life. She didn't understand it."

Sheldon hugged her. It was the first time she had really opened up about what her mother was like. When he posed as her boyfriend, she never fully explained why she had wanted him to do it. All she said was so that I won't have to go out once a year to meet her obligations. She had never told him she was pushed into finding a suitable mate. She was more like him than she thought. She had an overprotective mother just like he did.

"How did you get her to understand?" He asked her.

"She still doesn't. I don't think she believes me when I tell her we are still dating. She has only met you that one time. I used to go out once a year just so I could use her George Forman grill, but I bought my own a couple of years ago. I don't have to meet that obligation anymore. She has on more than one occasion brought a new guy to meet me when I have been to her house for dinner. My father has told her to stop. He believes me when I say I am dating someone, but she doesn't. It's just like Armand the miniature horse breeder again."

"I'm sorry." He said to her. "It's my fault she doesn't believe you. Every time you ask me to meet them, I come up with an excuse. I wasn't ready for that kind of a commitment. I thought the first time would be enough. I am really sorry. When we get back to Pasadena, I will come and meet your parents, I promise you that." He smiled at her.

"When you say things like that to me, I know why I love you so much."

"Well I love you too." And then he kissed her.

The rest of the ride to New Mexico was uneventful. They watched some more of Buffy while cuddling on the bed. They kissed a bit more, but nothing progressed to the level it had been on when they were interrupted earlier in the day. They arrived at the train station in New Mexico and immediately boarded the next train which was scheduled to leave 20 minutes later.

They didn't have a room on the next train as it was only a 4 hour ride. They found seats that met Sheldon's approval and signed back onto the computer. They watched another couple episodes of Buffy before they arrived in Denver.

They found the hotel which was only a few blocks from the train station and checked in. They were so tired from the events of the day, they fell asleep quickly in each other's arms.

**A/N: Next chapter will be Colorado, but maybe an appearance by another mother? I don't think Mary can stay out of it...we will see.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. They made me write this chapter faster. I have some ideas where I want these two to go in their relationship. It is moving at a brisk pace but may stall for a while. I hope you are all good with that. Thanks for the many kind words about Mary and how Sheldon dealt with her. This chapter is rated M just because...**

**As always I own nothing from the BBT...I wish I did. **

_They were so tired from the events of the day they fell asleep quickly in each other's arms_.

The next morning Sheldon woke first. He had his arm slung around Amy's waist. He marveled at how beautiful she looked when she slept. He got up quietly and made his way to the bathroom. When he came back he snuggled up close to her again, this time waking her up.

"Good morning, beautiful." He said to her.

"Good morning." She said.

"How did you sleep?" He asked her.

"Wonderful, you?"

"As soundly as ever."

"What do you want to do today?" She asked him

"I was thinking we could maybe go to the zoo later. But first I want to do this." He said and he leaned in and kissed her.

"I could get used to waking up like this." She answered and kissed him back.

They soon couldn't get enough of the kissing and began exploring each other. Sheldon had taken Amy's top off and his own and he was fondling her. He took her left breast in his mouth and continued playing with her hard nipple on the right. She arched into him as he did this. He ground his body against her and she began to moan. They were lost in each other and soon they both felt their release. It was the most intense thing either had felt before.

"Well that was different." Sheldon said to him as he came down off his high.

"It sure was." She said as she too came back to reality.

They hadn't taken anything off below the waist so Sheldon had a sticky mess he needed to clean.

"I think I must take a shower now and then we can get ready for the zoo." He said to her.

"Okay, I will need to shower as well." She said to him. She wondered if maybe they should talk about what had just happened.

Sheldon went into the shower and stood under the warm water thinking. He couldn't believe he had done that with Amy. He knew he wanted to have a more intimate relationship with her, but ever since they came on this trip, things had moved at a more rapid pace. He didn't mind it though. And from the way she had responded, he knew she didn't either. He also knew they had to talk about it as well. A person couldn't just do that with another person and ignore what happened.

Amy took her shower after he did. Sheldon had been quiet when he came out of the bathroom. She was afraid they had moved to fast, but he hadn't stopped it. She had to say something to him. She would ask him when she was finished in the bathroom.

She came out 15 minutes later dressed and ready to go.

"Sheldon Amy." They said at the same time.

"You go first." She said to him.

"I think we need to talk about what happened with us this morning."

"I was going to say the same thing."

"Good then we are on the same page. A few days ago we talked about getting more intimate. We began to share a bed. Yesterday, we were exploring each other before we were rudely interrupted by my mother. Today we took it further. I don't know about you but I feel we have progressed rather quickly in a few days."

"I agree with you on that. I am afraid we moved too fast for you though."

"Now Amy, you know if we were doing something I was uncomfortable with doing, I would have stopped us, just like I did the other night. I didn't feel that way today. I actually didn't feel that way yesterday either, but as you recall we were interrupted."

"So you are saying that what we did this morning was planned?"

"I wouldn't exactly say planned but I definitely wanted to explore my comfort levels. I needed to know how I felt about doing certain things with you. I also was hoping to find what feels right. I don't know what I am doing. I have been doing some research and let me tell you some of the websites about this stuff are just vulgar."

"You've researched sex online?" She laughed at this.

"What is so funny?" He did not find any type of humor in some of the things he saw.

"I am curious as to what you typed in a Google search?" She was almost crying she was laughing so hard.

"I am not seeing what you find so humorous." But he was starting to laugh too. Her laugh was just too contagious. "I tried to type in how do I get my girlfriend excited?"

At this point she fell off the bed she was laughing so hard. He just looked at her and laughed too.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as he helped her up.

"I am fine." She answered taking a deep breath to stifle more laughter. "It's just I don't think there is a great way to research that topic without getting extremely intense images. I have seen some of those types of pictures. It scared me too."

He laughed at this. "You've done research too?" He asked her.

"Of course. I am just as inexperienced at this as you are. I want to know what to do when the time comes as well. But I don't think us Google searching is going to help us get through it. I think the best way is communication. I can tell you what feels right and you do the same. Like this morning, I loved it all. You found a spot on me and made me feel something I never have experienced with another human. I was stimulated through brain waves years ago, but this morning was a different feeling."

"I felt something different this morning as well. I have engaged in self-abuse on occasion and there was definitely a difference from that with the activities of earlier. It was much better."

"I agree, whenever I have used Gerard, it never felt as good as this morning."

"Um, Amy?"

"Yes, Sheldon?"

"Who's Gerard?"

"My electric toothbrush."

"Why would your electric toothbrush make you feel like I did this morning and why would you name it?

"I don't use Gerard to brush my teeth, Sheldon."

"Then what do you use him for?" He asked. She just gave him a look that told him everything he needed to know. "Oh, I see. So a couple of weeks ago after we had been kissing on your couch and you said you had to brush your teeth? Is that what took you so long?"

She just looked down a bit embarrassed.

"I'm curious, how many times have you used Gerard since we met?"

"Um….." She wasn't sure how to answer that question. She had used him on occasion before meeting Sheldon, but only because after that study she had participated in had shown her the pleasure of orgasm. But since meeting Sheldon she seemed to use him on a more regular basis.

"Amy? Are you going to answer my question?"

"I don't know an exact number of times. I know I have used him more recently then when we first met, but I don't know how many times exactly."

"How about this, how many times a month do you engage in the activity?"

"Okay fine, I will answer, I have used him 2 times a week in the last year. How often have you engaged in self-abuse since meeting me?" She was ashamed to admit it but she would turn this around on him.

"I very rarely did it before meeting you, but after we first met, I would say I started at 1 time a month. More recently, within the last year I would say I engaged on average 1-2 times per week."

"So basically we have been self-abusing the same amount of time for the last year and never did anything but kiss for the last 3 and a half months. Well until this morning."

"I guess you are right."

"So what do you suppose we should do about that now?" She asked him and leaned in to kiss him.

"Oh I think I can think of a few things." And he deepened the kiss.

They had just begun a second exploration of themselves when Amy's phone rang rather loudly.

"That's my mom. I can tell from her ringtone."

"Can't you ignore it?" He said frustrated.

"We didn't ignore your mom yesterday."

"That was because she called 4 times in a row. And remember I did want to ignore it since she called from Leonard's computer. You insisted we answer it." He answered

" Well if you think your mom was insistent then wait til you meet my mom. I guarantee my mom will continue to call until I answer. She has done it in the past." She reached over and grabbed her phone.

"Hi mom, how are you?" She said as she answered her phone.

"Wondering where you are." Sandy Fowler answered her daughter.

"Why would you be wondering that mom?"

"We had plans to go shopping this afternoon if I recall and I am currently standing outside your apartment knocking. So I ask again where are you?"

Amy covered the phone. "My mom is at my apartment. We were supposed to go shopping. I completely forgot."

"Oh brother." Sheldon said

"Who are you talking to? Is that a man's voice? Do you have a man in your apartment?" Her mother asked.

"Yes mom, it is a man. I am with Sheldon."

"Oh him." She said dismissively. "Well if you are inside just come let me in."

"Mom I am not in my apartment."

"Well okay, tell me where this Sheldon lives and I can come pick you up there. And may I ask why you are there in the morning? Did you spend the night at his place?"

She ignored her mother's questions. "Mom, we are not at his apartment either. We are in Colorado."

"Colorado? What are you doing in Colorado?"

"Sheldon and I are on vacation. It was kind of a last minute decision. I left Monday with him. We went to the Grand Canyon and then came here. I completely forgot to let you and dad know I was away. I also forgot our plans. I am so sorry."

"You went on vacation with him? Are you sleeping with him?"

"Mom I am a grown woman, I will not discuss my relationship with you. If I am sleeping with him it is my business not yours."

"Did he tell you he loves you? That is how they all get you in bed!"

"Mom! Again it is not your business. We have been seeing each other for a long time. I am not having this discussion with you now. I will bring Sheldon over to meet you when we come home in a month."

"You are going to be gone for a month? Why?

"It's complicated mom."

"What's so complicated?

"We have a lot of things to work out between us. And everyone around us is always getting involved. We needed to be away from everything and mom this includes you as well. We told Sheldon's mom the same thing yesterday. We are not trying to be disrespectful but we need the time alone. Sheldon is also having some issues with his job and he needed time to think about his career path. He was granted a sabbatical to do some soul searching. He wanted my help with the decision as it may affect us both. He has been through a lot in the last few weeks. My latest study ended last week. Sheldon arranged for me to take the month off before my next study begins at the beginning of July. So mom if you don't mind I am going to go now. We are going to the zoo. I will call you later in the week. I will let you know where we are going next. I hope you can find that acceptable."

"Amy."

"Goodbye mom. I will call you." She hung up the phone.

"Did you just hang up on your mother?"

"I did, she was pushing me to talk about our relationship, just like yours was yesterday. Let's just hope they don't get together about this. I told her it was none of her business. She had the audacity to tell me the only reason you said I love you was to get me to sleep with you. She is always doing that to me."

"You know that is not true, right? I know we have moved progressively faster since I said those words but I didn't say it to 'get you in bed' as so many put it. If that was true I would have said it long ago."

"I know Sheldon. I know you truly love me. And I truly love you."

"That is such a relief. I was afraid you would believe your mom."

"Sheldon, I told you before she is always trying to manipulate me into her will. I wouldn't be surprised if there was another man at their house when we visit in a month. She probably thinks I am made this trip up to avoid her. I hope she doesn't go looking for us at your place."

"But she doesn't know where I live."

"She knows your last name, she could find it. It wouldn't surprise me. Maybe we should call Leonard to warn him. I would hate for him to be the one to deal with my mom. When she gets something on her mind she doesn't let it go. I just don't want her to come in between us."

"Amy, I love you. I won't let her come in between us."

"I love you too." She kissed him gently.

**A/N: Okay now we have met Amy's mom. Maybe she and Mary will conspire together. Reviews help me write faster.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews. So many of you want the mothers to conspire to bring them back. I am not sure that will happen but they may conspire to get them married or something. Or maybe they won't get along. Sorry, the ideas are coming to me as I type this. I am working on getting Mary and Sandy to meet but it may be a few chapters yet. This one will deal with the elephant in the room, living arrangements. It also has some of my ideas of a back story to each. I know we don't know what has happened to Amy's father in the show but for my story he is very much alive and living with her mom. I mention their relationship here.**

**As always I own nothing. Thank Chuck, Bill and Steve for the story I get to work with.**

"_When she gets something on her mind she doesn't let it go. I just don't want her to come in between us."_

_"Amy, I love you. I won't let her come in between us."_

_"I love you too." She kissed him gently._

They decided to wait until that evening to finish what they had started. Amy's mother calling had killed the mood. Amy was still upset and worried that she would somehow figure out where Sheldon lived and go over to his place to find out the truth. The two of them tried to call Leonard but he wasn't answering his phone.

Amy knew they had to talk about the elephant in the room. She had mentioned them living together and while they had briefly discussed it before they left, now it seemed to be a source of gossip for their mothers. Mary Cooper had asked her straight up about it and her mother wanted to know if they were sleeping together because she fell for the 'I love you'. She had to bring it up to him.

"Sheldon, we need to have a discussion."

"About what?" He asked her curiously

"About the fight we had before you left for the comic book store."

"Oh that, I already told you I was wrong about it, so why do we have to mention it again?"

"Because your mom asked me what you were about to say about me when you stopped yourself. Because my mom thinks I am making a mistake if I sleep with you. Because we really need to have a true discussion about it in the first place."

"But you didn't tell my mom anything and I interrupted before she could grill you anymore. I think she understood I meant it when I told her to stay out of our business."

"My mom won't let it go though. I told her we had some issues to work out. She will try and find out what they were. If she can find a kink in our happiness she will use it. She didn't get a good impression of you the first time she met you, and you haven't been around to prove yourself since. We already discussed this and I am not angry about it. It is just the truth. If she feels there is a way to come between us, she will try and use it."

"But I already told you I won't let that happen."

"I won't either but she will persist. How will you feel if when we go to meet my parents, there is another man sitting there waiting to be introduced to me as a potential boyfriend that she approves as a match? She never trusted that website we used. She knew I was only humoring her by going out on dates. I would meet one guy a year give him that speech I gave you and they would leave."

"What speech?"

"The one that included this line, 'all forms of physical contact up to and including coitus are off the table'. I had no desire whatsoever to be in a relationship. I was happy. That was until I met you. I couldn't believe I found someone so similarly matched to me than you. That website found you for me and when I gave you the talk, you didn't run. You bought me a drink. We talked for hours. And then we exchanged phone numbers. I wasn't sure what happened but I knew you had to be in my life. When I told my mom I thought I found a guy I could have an intelligent conversation and that didn't run away at first glance she didn't believe me. I think I had had 5 second dates in all the time she was trying to get me to date. Dad thought she was being pushy. Of course, I am his little girl so no man will ever be good enough."

"What? You don't think your dad will approve of me?"

"No not at all. I have told him all about you. He was the one who originally suggested I introduce you as my boyfriend."

"Did you tell him the truth?"

"I told him we were really good friends and I thought that maybe someday we could be more, but I was content with what we had then. He seemed okay with that. He isn't like my mom when it comes to my love life. I am sure he would be fine if I never got married. But mom wants grandkids and for me to be 'taken care of'."

"Grandkids?"

"Now don't freak out, all moms want them, even your mom. She has one now so she probably won't be pushing us in that direction. My mom is old fashioned. She thinks that I need a man to take care of me. It doesn't matter if I have a good job or anything but it makes no sense, when I was in high school she wanted me to stay away from guys. She even signed my yearbook, 'Self-respect and a hymen are better than friends and fun. Love, Mom'."

"So what do you think changed?"

"All her friends daughters started getting married and had children. She was jealous. I was too busy furthering my education to worry about men. She then made me promise to go out once a year. I figured it wouldn't hurt. So I signed up for that ridiculous website. Some of the guys on there were crazy. I met one guy who wanted me to move to New Mexico and follow his band. He kept sending me creepy emails. I wished I had never contacted him in the first place. I was just looking for a bit of a bad boy for a change of pace. I never thought I would meet a lunatic. And another always wanted to know what I was wearing. He got so creepy I changed my email address. Then I met you."

"Well I am glad I didn't creep you out. I thought the whole thing was complete hokum. I hadn't expected anything. I was expecting someone desperately seeking a man to copulate with so I went in with no expectations. Besides I had been blackmailed. Just like you, I never was going to be in a relationship. My friends had those and they made them stupid in my mind. They would forget all about the things that were important in life. My goals had never changed. I want a Nobel Prize, I don't hide that. You have that aspiration as well so that is what makes us so similar. Our jobs mean something. I love talking to you about mine. I may never seem interested in what you say about your job, but I love your enthusiasm when you talk about it. I hear every word you say. I fell in love with your mind before I ever even looked at you as more than a friend."

"I fell in love with your mind first as well."

"So with our brilliant minds we should be able to get around our mothers. Don't you think?"

"I suppose you are right. But like I said my mother can be persistent."

"When we go to your parents' house if there is another man there, we will deal with it then. Until then let's not worry about it at all."

"Okay. But now what about your mother? She will find out about our fight. She is staying with Leonard. She will probably get it out of Penny. She can't keep a secret to save her life. Maybe we should just tell her."

"She will not find out from us. I don't want her to have a bad impression of you before she really gets to know you. She already thinks we are 'sinning' which is beyond ridiculous. She was doing the same thing in April when I caught her. How can she be such a hypocrite? And I have been with you way longer than she was with that Ron guy. I will never get that picture out of my head. Even after she introduced me to him, all I could think about was what I saw them doing."

"What do you think she will do if she finds out I want to live with you?"

"She will insist we get married first. I have no doubt about that. And I am not sure why. George has lived with many women before he settled down with his 1st wife and then he still couldn't make it work. The 2nd wife was better but he couldn't make that last either. This time he is living with the woman first before deciding whether to marry for the 3rd time. Missy lived with her husband for 5 years before they got married and mom didn't get as bent out of shape about that as she did with me. I just don't understand why there is such a double standard when it comes to me. Missy and I are the same age so it's not like I am the baby of the family and she needs to protect me. I just think it is because I left so young. She has always been worried about me. She is always the one that is called in when I have a big issue. When I got fired from the university 7 years ago, Leonard called her to get me out of the apartment. She helped me get my job back. When we had our disagreement a few years ago, Leonard called her after I bought the cats; she came to my rescue again. She got you back into my life. Granted she used her 'reverse psychology' to make it happen but it was easier to argue with her than agree. She also thinks I can't hear. I heard her tell Leonard she liked you and wanted me to be happy. If she said she didn't like you then she knew I would go right after you to make her angry. It was always the way she got me to do things I hated. She would tell me it wasn't worth it for me to do and of course then I would do what exactly what she didn't want me to do."

"So your mother does like me?"

"Amy, you are all she talks about when I call her. She wants to know when I will marry you. She loves you. That is what is so mind baffling about what she is doing now. If she wants us to get married so badly why wouldn't she be happy we are working our issues out first."

"Have you thought about us getting married?"

"How can I not? I have seen our friends get married and engaged. Of course the thought crossed my mind. Why do you think I put all the stuff in our relationship agreement about the future? I have always thought you would be in my life."

"So why have you been so opposed to us living together?" She decided now was as good a time as any to get the answers she wanted so badly to know.

"It scares me. Last year when you gave me all the reasons that you would be the perfect roommate, I couldn't refute any of it. You were right. You would make the perfect roommate. But I wasn't ready for that level of commitment. So when Penny said she wasn't ready for Leonard to move in, I found my way out. Yes it was the coward's way out. I admitted it to you. The evidence was there."

"But what about the other day?"

"Your timing was terrible. How could you think that I would want to hear again the notion of us living together? I was angry. You tried to nullify me with a children's drink. You talked about the fact I hated living with Leonard. I don't hate living with him. He is my best friend. Yes he can be trying at times, but that doesn't change the fact that he has always been there for me. So when he suggested he and Penny may want to live without me, I got scared. I came to you because I thought you would understand. You sounded as if you did and then you brought up us living together again. You had said it earlier in the year as well. Do you remember?"

"You mean when I got cocky over our non-breakup?"

"Yes."

"But I haven't mentioned it since."

"You are right but I know what you told Leonard at Christmas."

"What about Christmas?"

"I thought you were acting rather odd when you picked me up from the airport after I was in Texas, I asked Leonard if something had happened to you. He told me what you guys had discussed at the Christmas party you had. He said your life would be so much different if I wasn't in it. You thought I didn't care about you. He even told me he showed you the screen saver. He also mentioned something about how if I cared so much then you wouldn't be living alone still. I told him he was wrong and you were okay with the way things were with us. I was fooling myself."

"But that was me being selfish."

"No it wasn't. It was the truth. Most people look at our relationship and probably think we are just friends. We don't hold hands all the time. We don't kiss in front of other people. And I know how people think it is absolutely ridiculous that we haven't consummated our relationship. They don't understand it at all. Believe me I have been ridiculed on more than one occasion by my friends. The more I think about what we talked about the night of our Dungeon and Dragons adventure, the more I believe our friends think our relationship is a joke. I don't want that. I want us to have a real relationship. We may not have the kind of relationship that anyone around us have, but you have to admit we have been the most stable of our group. Even Howard and Bernadette have their troubles and they are married. He slept on the couch at Raj's house for a week when she was mad at him. They aren't perfect. But neither are we. When we have disagreements, we can't always handle them properly. Remember the fight with Wil Wheaton?"

"You mean when he called me a pain in the ass? Yeah I remember. You didn't even stick up for me. That pissed me off."

"But did anyone ever tell you what I did after I knew what I did wrong?"

"Yes, Wil did actually."

"What?"

"He called me and apologized after you went over to his house drunk to beat an apology out of him. He got my number from Leonard. I can't believe he never told you that. Why do you think I brought him over when you were dealing with the mathematical mistake you made finding the super element?"

"I thought you were just ignoring the fact that you hated him."

"We will never be the best of friends but I will try for you."

"And I appreciate that from you. This is what I mean. We may not have the most conventional relationship but we talk. I know this conversation we are having now is long overdue but you have to admit we talk about our issues. This one was just a big one that I wasn't sure I could handle. That is part of the reason I ran from you that night. I couldn't handle the fact that I thought you were right."

"What?"

"I don't have any arguments for you about us living together. We would be great roommates. But we aren't just friends and that is why I am scared. What happens if we argue? When Leonard and I have our arguments he runs to Penny's apartment. What will we do?"

"We could work them out like adults and not run away from them. I think we have great communication skills. We won't always get along. Every couple fights. It is about the communication after that makes it work and that is what is sometimes lacking with us. When we don't know how to handle things we go to our friends. This is why they are so involved in our relationship. I want you to know, buying me something won't always work. I know that is what Leonard told you when you bought my tiara."

"I got that when you slammed the door with the Star Trek DVDs. You only took them because I was telling you about them and didn't want to hear about it. You didn't watch them, did you?"

"Not right away, no. I was mad. There was no way I was going to give you the satisfaction of knowing I didn't hate them. Wil was really good in it. I can understand why you related to his character so much."

"So what are we going to do now? I invited you on this trip so we could work on our relationship by ourselves. We have been communicating extremely well. And even with our interruptions, we have been able to be more physical. I still don't know if I am ready to live with you but I am open to it and I want to let you know that. We still have 3 weeks on our trip. This is going to be a good test to see if we can get along."

"I can handle that. We can revisit this discussion in a few weeks and see if we have come up with any ideas how to handle our living arrangements."

"I agree, now I want to go to the zoo."

"Alright let's go."

He took her hand and they left the hotel to catch the bus for the zoo.

**A/N: I hope I didn't make them too out of character. I think this a conversation they needed to have. I also hope you like how I made the audience understand why Amy would have called Wil who she swore she hated in to help Sheldon in his time of need. I think she would put differences aside for him but I liked this idea that he called and apologized to her as well as him since he was snockered on those awesome teas from Long Island.**

**Reviews help me write faster...thanks as always.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I came up with something for the mothers. I hope you all enjoy this. I think it works for my story. They are meddlesome but maybe not as bad as we all think. Penny is going to be a player in this chapter as well, along with Leonard. She plays a big part. Okay I don't hate her but she has a problem keeping her mouth shut. This issue will come out in the chapter. Sorry no Shamy in this chapter. They will be back in full force next chapter.**

**Okay I own don't own these charcters, I just take them out to play.**

Sandy Fowler was not one to give up. She was concerned about her daughter. After she had talked to her on the phone and established she wasn't home, she wanted to find out why she really went away. She had mentioned that she and that Sheldon character were working on some issues. What were the issues? After Amy had introduced her to Sheldon, she became concerned. When Amy was in high school, she fell for many boys. She believed anything they told her. She remembered Amy's junior prom when that Jack boy had asked her to go with him. She had been so excited. She left school early and had her hair curled. She bought a beautiful dress to wear. When the time came for him to pick her up, he never showed. She waited over an hour and then went by herself. She didn't see why she couldn't. She had a ticket and was dressed for the occasion. So Sandy drove her there. When they arrived they both saw Jack, making out with another girl. Amy didn't end up going to the prom. She was devastated. The day she was introduced to Sheldon, he had spoken with her mother about having sexual relations with Amy. She was shocked. She thought she had taught her better than that. Later, her husband had told her it was a ruse so she would stay out of Amy's life.

So it had surprised her a year later when she said she was bringing someone to her Aunt Flora's 93rd birthday party. She was excited to see this new man. Then he didn't show. Amy explained that Sheldon had decided that playing some video game was more important than a commitment he had made to her. Again with this guy Sheldon. She didn't know what to believe anymore. She and her husband had invited Amy and Sheldon over on more than one occasion for dinner. It always ended up being just Amy. There was always some excuse. She started to question whether or not she really had a boyfriend. The next time they invited just Amy over and Sandy had also invited a family friend, Mark, over. Mark had just recently moved back to California after completing law school. He was going to work for the District Attorney's office in Los Angeles. He was perfect for Amy. He was smart, good looking, and made a good living. Amy was not happy about it. She was very nice to Mark but explained to him that she was sorry her mom had misled him, but she was already involved with someone else. He had no idea and apologized.

Her husband had told her to back off for a while. If Amy had wanted her to meet Sheldon, she would bring him around eventually. He for one believed Amy. He had never seen her happier. She also talked about him all the time. He had looked this Sheldon up online and found he was a very well-known physicist. He worked at Caltech in string theory. He was a published theoretical physicist with two doctorates. If this young man was dating his daughter, Jerry Fowler was impressed. So he had talked to his wife about leaving Amy alone for once. But she wasn't one to listen to that kind of advice. She continued to bring men over to meet Amy. Eventually she stopped coming around. He called her often to see how she was doing. She talked about Sheldon and all his accomplishments. She seemed smitten with him. He was happy for her.

She used her spare key that Amy had given her to get into the apartment. She looked around for proof she had a boyfriend. She found nothing of significance in her living room. In her room she found a picture of her and Sheldon. They were sitting on what appeared to be a couch. They were just sitting smiling. They weren't holding hands or anything that made them appears to be a couple. She continued to look around the apartment and found a directory from Caltech. She knew that was where she was working. She had mentioned at one point that was where Sheldon worked as well. She decided to see if he was in there. She found his name and address listed in the directory. She saw that he had a roommate who also worked at Caltech. She was wondering if he was home and knew what had happened. She decided she would go over to the apartment and find out for herself.

Sandy found her way to 4311 Los Robles Ave. and made her way in. She was standing in front of the elevator when a young blond woman walked in from outside.

"Oh no, the elevator's broken. The sign must have fallen off again."

"Well then I guess I have to walk up."

"What apartment are you looking for?" She asked her.

"4A. I guess that means 4 flights of stairs."

"Are you here to see Leonard?" She wasn't sure why this woman would be here to see her fiancé, but thought maybe she was from the university.

"I am here to see him so I can talk about his roommate, Dr. Sheldon Cooper."

"Oh Lord, what did Sheldon do now?" She asked her.

"You know Sheldon?"

"Yes, Leonard is my fiancé, so I know Sheldon pretty well. Can I ask who you are?"

"My name is Sandy Fowler."

"Are you Amy's mother?"

"You know my daughter?"

"She is my best friend. I know her very well. Did something happen to the two of them? I just spoke with them yesterday afternoon. You do know they aren't here right? Last time I checked they had made it to Colorado."

"Oh yes I know they are on some kind of month long vacation, but I don't know why. Amy told me their decision to go on this vacation was last minute. They left on Monday she said."

"They left on Monday. It was definitely last minute. I didn't even know they were going on this trip. Well I knew Sheldon was leaving but we found out Amy joined him after they left, when they called us."

"So he knew he was taking a trip and invited her last minute."

"Why don't we finish this discussion in the apartment? Sheldon's mother is here. She has been asking a lot of questions as well. Maybe you two can talk and see if they relayed any information to either of you that could be helpful. I am not sure I can help."

"Oh I think you can. Why don't you join me when we get there?"

"I was heading there anyway because we needed eggs. Mrs. Cooper sent me out to get them. I will walk up with you."

They walked up the last two flights of stairs and Penny let them both into 4A. Mary was busy making breakfast for them all and Leonard was sitting in his chair sipping his coffee.

"Good morning sweetie." Penny greeted her fiancé with a kiss. "I picked up some more eggs for you Mary."

"Oh thank you dear." She answered and took the bag from her. "And may I ask who your friend is here."

"Mary, Leonard, this is Sandy Fowler, Amy's mother. She was just coming over here to ask you some questions about this vacation that Sheldon and Amy took."

"Oh dear, I would hardly call it a vacation." Mary said to her.

Penny wasn't sure what Mary meant by that but she was certainly not going to argue. She wasn't even sure she wanted to get involved in this conversation.

"What do you mean by that?" Sandy asked Mary.

"Oh I mean, they are on a vacation, but it wasn't planned. My son, in his infinite wisdom, decided his life was in shambles and ran away from all his problems. Well I am not sure he ran away from them all, I think he took one with him."

"And may I ask what you mean by that?"

"I mean, I think he and Amy had some kind of fight but then he asked her to join him on his journey. He told me everything that happened but what went on with him and Amy. I tried to get her to talk about it but she wouldn't budge and then they hung up on me."

"They did the same to me today. Amy told me they had issues to work out. She didn't go into any details. I thought I would come here and try to get some answers."

Leonard and Penny tried to leave the apartment while the two women were talking but they were at the door when Mary called them back in.

"Leonard, Penny where are you two going?"

"Oh well, I thought maybe you guys would like to have your discussion alone so we were heading over to Penny's apartment." Leonard told her.

"Sit down." Mary said to them. "Now what do you know? What happened between Amy and Sheldon that they have to work out? I thought everything was going smoothly with them. What I witnessed yesterday looked awfully cozy."

"What? I knew it! Sheldon seduced my daughter while having problems. It was probably his way of making things right."

"Now hold on just a moment." Mary said to her. "My Shelly is not that kind of a man. I raised him better than that."

"Okay ladies, let's not argue about this." Leonard interrupted.

"That's right. Neither one of them is seducing the other. As far as we know, the two of them have gone no further than kissing. They have been dating a long time and do not have the kind of relationship other couples have. Their relationship started as a relationship of the mind. They only recently introduced a more physical aspect to the relationship. I don't think they are sleeping together yet." Penny stated. "Hell, they probably have a time table in that relationship agreement Sheldon wrote about when certain physical things will take place."

"A relationship agreement, what is that?" Sandy asked.

"Yeah, I am kind of curious too." Mary agreed.

"Um, I don't think that is for me to say." She had already said too much.

"No dear. I think you said plenty. I would like to know what a relationship agreement is. If my son has done something stupid I would like to know."

"Mary, you know how Sheldon likes everything ordered right?" Leonard asked her.

"Yes."

"Well we have what we call a roommate agreement. It is a series of arrangements that I agreed to when I moved in here. Ours is about 100 pages long. It is very thorough. It specifies the kind of food we eat, what the temperature of our thermostat should be set at and much more."

"My son made an agreement that you signed so that you could live here? What possessed you to do that?"

"It was the best apartment at the time and it wasn't really that horrible of a notion. We have set nights to do things. I mean he had gotten a lot more lax with it recently but it still is a sore spot sometimes."

"So my Amy signed an agreement like this to be in a relationship with him?"

"I think so" Leonard answered her.

"Unbelievable. I knew this relationship was a farce! He isn't good enough for her. She signed a contract to be able to have a boyfriend."

"Mrs. Fowler" Penny injected. "They have a very real relationship. They deeply care about one another. It is extremely obvious to everyone who hangs out with them. I don't think the agreement is as restrictive as the one Leonard signed. It is used as a guide post for them. Sheldon needs his order and Amy recognized that. She signed it without argument. But I know she has been fighting for changes in it."

"It doesn't change the fact she signed it to begin with."

"Sandy, may I call you Sandy?" Mary said. Sandy nodded. "These kids are right; my son is very ordered in his life. Everything has to be just right to him. I am sure the agreement these two signed were just to keep him on track in his mind. My son has some special characteristics."

"If you don't think it is too restrictive on her then I guess I can understand. Amy has her quirks too."

"I have met her. She is a very unique individual." Mary agreed.

"I only met Sheldon once and that was before they were officially dating. Amy presented him as her boyfriend because I insisted she go out on at least one date a year. I think she wanted to get me off of her back. He didn't make a good impression. They implied sex well before it happened, if it did yet. My husband had something to do with that. He told me later it was a joke. He has never met me in person. It seems he is avoiding us."

"I have seen Amy since they started dating but only got to talk to her that one time when Sheldon and she had an argument early in the relationship and they broke it off. My son replaced her with 25 cats. His friends were worried. I have never seen my son pining over a woman so I knew your daughter was special. Sheldon doesn't show his emotions very well. But I can tell you he is in love, even if he hasn't admitted it yet. Every time he calls me or his meemaw, he talks and talks about her. If he isn't in love I would be surprised."

"But it doesn't explain what happened this week to make them take off like this."

"Sheldon has been through a bunch of things in these last few weeks." Leonard said to them. "First he wanted to change his field and Caltech wouldn't allow it. It took him weeks to decide what field he wanted to study. He drove us all crazy. He was hired at Caltech and the grants pay for him to study string theory. He was told he couldn't change his field of study. It angered him. He almost quit. Penny and I got engaged and we want to live together. I suggested he may like living in 4B. I realize this was his apartment first but it is bigger for two people. He didn't like the suggestion."

"I would think not." Mary said to him. "But what happened with Amy? I know all this other stuff including his comic book store burning down."

"It really isn't our business to say." He answered her.

"But they had a problem and now they are on a journey of discovery together. It makes no sense unless she did something that made him feel uncomfortable as well. Did she suggest they have sex?" Mary asked.

"I don't think that is what she did." Penny said. She was trying to avoid telling them what happened as well.

"Please just tell us what they fought about." Sandy said. "It may ease our minds as to why they are away."

"They have a right to know." Penny said to Leonard.

"If Sheldon and Amy wanted them to know they would tell them. I refuse to be a part of another one of your doing what is for the best. It backfired on us the last time."

"That's not fair. Amy was being unfair."

"No you heard our friends, we were unfair to her. That is part of the reason she didn't tell us she went. We messed up. I am not going to again. Let them tell their mothers if they want them to know."

"Now Leonard, Penny is right. We have the right to know why our children went away together. If they fought maybe we can help them."

"See what did I tell you?" Penny said.

"Penny, you said it yourself when we saw Sheldon, they are grown adults. They can make their own decisions. We know that they have not told these two what happened and we are not going to tell them either."

"Maybe you aren't, but I think they need to know."

"Well what happened then?" Mary asked her.

"I'm going for a walk." Leonard told her. "I need to think about some things."

Leonard left the apartment and took out his phone. He saw there was a message from Sheldon. He listened to it and heard his friend telling them that maybe Mrs. Fowler may try to come and find out what was going on. He didn't want them to say anything for fear she may try and find them. Leonard went back in to the apartment to tell Penny about the message but he was too late. Both Mary and Sandy looked shocked as she explained that Amy wanted to move in with Sheldon and he ran away and insulted her. She explained that after she talked to Amy that Sheldon had realized he was wrong. He called to apologize and then asked her to join him on the trip. They took off together with nothing but the clothes on their backs. She then showed them the pictures from the Grand Canyon.

"Well they sure look cozy." Sandy said to the room.

Leonard knew they would be in trouble if these two moms had any ideas about conspiring to bring them back so he interrupted the conversation.

"Hey I got a message from Sheldon warning us you may come here Mrs. Fowler. I want to let you know they did not want you to know what you were just told. They are afraid you may try and come after them. Look, I know you may be upset about this turn of events but you must believe us when we say you need to stay out of their relationship. I know they are your children but they are both over 30 and have every right to some alone time. We here have been way too involved in what they do and it has almost destroyed them sometimes. I am telling you, let them be please."

"I think these kids may be right." Mary said to Sandy. "They obviously have some issues to work out on their own. Sheldon would be upset if I called and tried to meddle some more."

"Amy will be also. I at least know why now." She wasn't convinced it was a good reason but what else could she do.

"Okay so now that this is settled would anyone like some breakfast?" Mary asked them.

The 4 of them shared breakfast together. They all got to know each other a little bit better. After they finished, Leonard excused himself. He made a quick phone call out of earshot. He got voicemail.

"Hey guys its Leonard. I got your message too late. Amy's mom was here this morning. Your mom's talked to us this morning and asked about your fight. Just so you guys are aware…..they know."

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the interactions between Mary and Sandy. Let me know. I can take it if you didn't like it, I promise. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yep, someone is in trouble. Thanks for the reviews. This chapter will deal with the repercussions of Penny's blabbermouth. Like I said before I don't hate Penny, but she has a way of not keeping secrets. What happens when Sheldon and Amy as well as the gang finds out what she told this time. Oh and this is rated M...you have to read to find out why. **

**I don't own it...**

_"Hey guys its Leonard. I got your message too late. Amy's mom was here this morning. Your mom's talked to us this morning and asked about your fight. Just so you guys are aware…..they know."_

Sheldon listened to the message in utter disbelief. How had they found out? Who blabbed was more the question, although he already knew the answer. Penny couldn't keep her mouth shut to save her life.

"We are in trouble." Sheldon said to Amy when he finished listening to his messages.

"Why?" She asked him.

"Apparently you were right, your mom was over at my apartment this morning and somehow our mothers know." He answered glumly.

"I knew this was going to happen. My mom is so meddlesome. She can't leave well enough alone. Damn! How do they know though?"

"Well let's think about this one. Your mom and my mom were at my apartment with Leonard and Penny. Leonard is the one who called to warn me. Who do you think is responsible?"

"Why is she always getting in our business? She is supposed to be my best friend."

"Penny is a blabbermouth. It doesn't matter what the story is, she will tell anyone who will listen. I am sure my mom was pretty persuasive in getting it out of her as well."

"Yes but she knew we wanted it kept a secret. That is what angers me most. Did we not tell everyone to stay out of our personal lives? She just can't let well enough alone."

"Well what are we supposed to do about it now?"

"The first thing we are going to do when we get back from the zoo is call our friends and tell them to stay out of our life, especially Penny. We need to explain to them the situation."

"I am not sure they will understand. Again especially Penny, she always is meddling."

"After that, we will tell them we will be unavailable unless we want to call them. If they call, they will be ignored. And finally, we will call our mothers and tell them what is going on and then tell them that we are grown adults capable of handling a minor disagreement ourselves. We will also inform them we will contact them on a need to know basis."

"I love the way your brain works." He said to her with a smile.

"So are you in agreement?" She asked him.

"I agree, I just hope it works. Now let's go see the monkeys."

The two of them walked around the zoo for the rest of the day. They enjoyed the monkeys and the new leopard cubs. There were no koalas like back home, but Sheldon still enjoyed himself. At the end of the day, they took a bus back to the hotel where Amy ordered them Chinese for dinner.

Sheldon had sent a text to all his friends asking them to be at Penny's apartment at 7:30pm and have the Skype chat open. He wanted to have a conversation with all of them.

At 8:30 their time, Sheldon and Amy called their friends on chat. They appeared in front of them all.

"Good evening friends." Sheldon said to them.

"Hey guys how are you?" Raj said.

"We are fine. I hope you are all well also." He answered him.

"More importantly, why did you demand we all be here at 7:30?" Howard said annoyed. "Bernadette and I wanted to go to the movies tonight."

"And Emily and I had plans as well." Raj said.

"And why my apartment?" Penny asked.

"It was brought to our attention this morning that our mothers have been informed of our fight earlier this week. They now know we fought over moving in together. We need to make this completely clear to you all, and then you can leave. We would like you all to stay out of our relationship. We needed you to be at Penny's apartment because I am aware my mother is still there and I did not need her to be a part of this conversation. We are going to speak to them privately later."

"We didn't tell them." Bernadette said to them. "In fact, the last time we were all together we agreed to stay out of your relationship. We all said you needed this time alone to figure things out."

"We know you didn't tell them, Bernadette." Amy said. "I appreciate the fact you understand we need the time alone."

"So who told?" Raj asked.

"I did." Penny admitted. "I thought they had the right to know."

"What gave you the right to decide that? Did we not just tell you on Monday night to stay out of their business? And less than a week later you are blabbing to their mothers! You are unbelievable." Bernadette yelled at her.

"They seemed really concerned. I thought they should know." Penny tried to defend herself.

"And you thought it was your job to tell them?"

"No but the ones whose jobs it was aren't here are they?

"So you took it upon yourself. And where were you when she told them?" Bernadette asked Leonard.

"I told her not to tell them. I tried to get her to see reason. She let Sheldon leave the other night stating he was a grown man, but didn't seem to appreciate that same advice when talking to their mothers."

"So why did you let her tell them?" She asked incredulously.

"I left the room, and said I wanted no part of it. I went out in the hall and heard the message Sheldon had left warning us about Amy's mom. I came back in but I was too late. They don't know you know yet by the way."

"Thank you Leonard. I appreciate you trying to stop Penny from interfering, but we all know when she gets something in her head, she doesn't let it go." Sheldon said to the room.

"What the hell does that mean?" She yelled at Sheldon.

"He's right, bestie. You can't keep a secret from anyone. You were the first one I told about Sheldon and I having sex when we conducted that experiment a few years ago and by the end of the day, everyone knew. I was accosted by Bernadette asking how Sheldon was in bed. Then when I came to you and said I was pregnant, Leonard knew 30 seconds later as I walked down the stairs of the apartment building. What happened between Sheldon and I was our business. We didn't want our mothers to judge, so we didn't tell them. You all know how Sheldon's mom is about premarital sex. Did you really think telling her that I want to live with her son was a good idea? And I know I don't talk about my mom but she is very protective. And she didn't get a good impression of Sheldon when she first met him. So telling them was not smart."

"I think you should also know something else then." Penny said.

"What's that?" Amy asked her concerned.

"They know about the relationship agreement."

"What?!" They all screamed at once.

"Wow." Bernadette said. "Did that just slip out of your mouth as well? Was it in the best interest of your friends to make it even harder for them to get alone time? I bet their mothers just loved that bit of information."

"Hey back off." Penny said to her.

"Penny how could you?" Amy asked her. "I was never going to tell my parents about that. It makes me seem needy. My mom doesn't need that kind of leverage to try and get rid of Sheldon. She will never understand now."

Sheldon was dumbfounded. He just sat looking at his best friend's fiancé with stunned silence. He used the agreements to keep his life in order. He needed them. Amy and Leonard had signed them without too much issue. Actually, Amy had signed it without arguing at all. Recently, she had asked for changes, but not too many or anything out of the ordinary. How was he going to explain this one to his mom? He needed to speak up now before things got more out of hand.

"Okay I think that is all we are going to talk about now. We wanted to tell you also that we are not going to be in touch for a while. We need this time and obviously we can't get the time alone if any of you are going to keep contacting us. We will be turning off our phones except for emergencies. We have already disabled the GPS locator so don't try and find us. We will call you when we think it is appropriate."

"Are you guys serious?" Howard asked. "We haven't all tried to contact you."

"I understand that Howard but in order to not be interrupted, we must do this. I am sorry to those of you that have respected our wishes. We will contact you soon. Goodnight." And he disconnected the call.

Amy was distraught. It was one thing for her mom to know what they had fought about but it was entirely different for her to know about the agreement. It wasn't a legal contract per se. Sheldon thought it was as it was notarized. But since it was his document with his signature, he couldn't be the one who actually notarized it and it be considered a legal document. He knew that, she thought, but it made him happy to keep the order. How was she going to explain this all to her mom?

"Are you okay?" Sheldon asked her.

"No, my mom is going to freak. She won't understand the relationship agreement."

"Neither will my mom. What are we going to do?"

"I think we should each text them and get them together. Then we can calmly explain our situation and what the agreement is really all about. And we are going to have to be honest about our fight. It will be for the best."

"I agree. When shall we have them meet?"

"How about tomorrow morning? I can text my mom now and you text yours and then ask Leonard if he set up a Skype call with them. I think it will be better if they are together. Then we only have to tell them once."

"That sounds like a plan."

They each sent a text to their moms and waited for the reply. Each mom said they were anxious to talk to them and would wait until the next morning. Leonard had agreed to set up the call for 11 the next morning.

"Well now that we have all that settled, what would you like to do now?" Sheldon asked her.

"Well you know when I am upset I crave human contact." She answered him.

"What do you suggest?" He asked a bit nervous. Last time this happened she asked for a night of torrid love making. He still wasn't quite sure but if she asked, he may oblige.

"Can we cuddle?" She asked him.

"Of course." He answered a bit disappointed.

Sheldon held out his arms to her. She leaned into the crook of his arm and laid there for a while. Sheldon gently stroked her hair as she relaxed into his arms more. She sighed when he kissed her head.

Amy looked up at him. "Thank you for being here for me." And she kissed him with all her might.

He kissed her back and they soon became lost in each other. Sheldon's hands explored her body while he kissed her neck and shoulders. Her hands tangled in his hair and made their way to his chest. She lifted his shirt and ran her hands over his chest.

He quickly devoid her of her shirts and bra. He kissed her neck and clavicle while he took her breast in his hands. He loved the way they fit perfectly in his hands. He soon had her right breast in his mouth and she moaned. He needed her. He knew he was ready. His hands roamed further down to her skirt. He looked at her for the okay before he continued. She nodded and he unzipped her skirt and slid it off her. She unzipped his pants and he kicked them off the bed. The only thing standing between them now was their underwear. He kissed her again and slowly worked his way down with his hand to her panties. He rubbed her over her and slowly slid them off her.

"Are you sure?" She asked him.

"I've never been more sure about anything." He answered her and while thinking about what he had read online slowly slid a finger inside her. She let out a moan which he took as a good sign he was doing it right. He continued to do what he was doing, making circles around the outside while rubbing her clit. She wriggled under him and soon began to clench.

"Oh Sheldon." She screamed as she felt her release. He smiled and kissed her again.

He quickly jumped off the bed and went to the bag of items he had purchased the day before. He found what he was looking for and brought to the bed a small square package.

"When did you buy condoms?" She asked him.

"Yesterday when we went to the store. I put them in the cart when you weren't paying attention. I wanted to surprise you."

"Well I guess you thought of everything." She said to him

"I wanted to be prepared just in case." He then opened the package and rolled the condom on.

He positioned himself on top of her. He kissed her gently and asked if she was nodded.

"Tell me to stop if it hurts." And he slowly slid inside her.

He waited a moment until he was fully inside and she gave him the okay to continue. He then slowly moved in and out. He wasn't sure if he was doing it right but he knew he felt good. He continued his movement and soon she joined him and they found a rhythm together. Just like everything else the two of them seemed to fit perfectly together. He found his release quickly and collapsed on top of her.

He slowly pulled himself out of her and rolled to her side. He removed the condom and deposited it in the trash can. He climbed back onto the bed and pulled her into him.

"This was more than cuddling." He said to her.

"I would say it was." She answered.

"I love you, Amy."

"And I love you."

He pulled her close to him and they snuggled while gently kissing each other. They fell asleep about 20 minutes later with smiles on their faces.

**A/N: What will they tell their mothers? Find out in the next chapter.**

**Reviews make me write faster.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I am back. Sorry this took so long. I have finished my school year and the laptop had to go back to the district so I haven't had a real chance to get onto a computer. I have this chapter and the next written, I just have to get them in document form. Anyway, I also had a case of writer's block. I hadn't planned on writing the stuff Sheldon and Amy did for some chapters but after their conversation with their friends it seemed the right timing. So I had to figure out where to take them afterwards. Hope you enjoy this. It is a short little chapter dealing with the next morning.**

**As always...I don't own it.**

Amy woke up first the next morning. She smiled when she realized she had not been dreaming the night before. She hadn't expected things to progress so quickly on this trip. She wasn't complaining though; she had been waiting a long time for this. She just hoped Sheldon didn't have any regrets. She quietly slipped out of bed and into the bathroom.

Sheldon awoke while she was in the bathroom. He rolled over and temporarily forgot where he was. Then he remembered the events of the previous evening. He smiled as he recalled the feel as he got lost in her. She had given herself to him in every way and him to her.

She came out of the bathroom and found him awake.

"I hope I didn't wake you. It's still early." She said to him. "I'm used to being up at this hour."

"I am as well. I guess our bodies know the correct time to get up."

"So how did you sleep?" She asked.

"Remarkably well, thank you. But then again, I have been sleeping quite well since we began this journey. How did you sleep?

"As good as always." She answered him.

"I think we need to talk about last night." He said to her.

She had expected this. When they had found pleasure in each other earlier in the week, he wanted to talk. She figured he would need to talk about what had occurred between them the previous evening.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" She asked hoping he wouldn't come out and say he regretted it.

"First, I want to let you know I don't regret what we did. In fact, I enjoyed it immensely. Second, I want to know your feelings as well. I know we have dated for a while and I know we have moved very slowly in our physical relationship. We just started to get to know each other physically the other night. You don't think we moved too fast do you?"

She had expected this as well. When he kissed her on Valentine's Day, it was a first. He had never initiated a kiss. Then it took two months of negotiations to put it in the Relationship Agreement for date nights. They had been kissing weekly for almost two months when this trip started. Maybe it was the close proximity to each other. He had initiated everything on this trip. She hadn't objected because she had wanted it for so long, but may things were moving a bit too fast for him.

"Sheldon, I don't regret what we did last night at all. I have to admit after our talk the other night I did not expect it to happen a few days later. Do I think we moved too fast? I don't think so. By anyone elses' standards, we would be married by now. I know my mother thinks that and yours probably does as well. I am not unhappy. I have wanted this for so long, you know that. I was willing to wait until you were ready and apparently last night you were. So to answer your question, we did not move too fast. It was perfect."

"This is why I keep saying how much I love you. You know exactly how to word things. And you have been patient, even last night. I didn't plan for it to happen like that, but I am very glad we did what we did."

"Me too." She said to him with a smile.

"So now that we have discussed our feelings on the matter, we should discuss something else."

She laughed as she asked, "What's that?"

"What's so funny?"

"You talking about feelings. Didn't you once say feelings were for hippies?"

"Yes, well I guess I've changed a bit with you. Everyone says it. They tell me you've changed me."

"If I recall you were going to end our relationship over that change." She said bringing up a sore subject.

"Yes, well if it hadn't been for your manipulation."

"My manipulation?" She asked innocently.

"Yes. I may not have seen it right away, but I figured it out shortly after we began renegotiating the agreement. You signed the termination too quickly. You were eager to stand by me when you had been part of the original discussion of the table. You were the one who pointed out where we could put it."

"You remembered that?" She asked incredulously.

"I remember everything, did you forget that?" He laughed.

"I guess I was hoping you wouldn't remember that part of the conversation. I was wrong."

"Well it's over any way and we have more pressing issues."

"What is that?" She asked

"The conversation that will occur with our mothers."

With everything that has happened, she had temporarily forgotten the upcoming call with her mother and his mother.

"Well do you have any plans to start the conversation?"

"I have tried to think of a way to make them understand the agreement. My mom knows how I like order. She is more likely to understand."

"Yes, while that may be the case with your mom, my mom will think this agreement is a way for you to control me. She won't get it."

"Then maybe we need to show them it isn't the case."

"How do you propose that?"

"By getting rid of it."

"What? You can't be serious. I mean don't get me wrong, it would be nice not to have it but I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I am serious. I came on this journey to think about the changes going on in my life. I asked you to come with me to help. Right there is a direct violation of the agreement. Am I not to give you 72 hours notice for a trip? I didn't do that."

"But Sheldon," She interjected but he stopped her.

"Let me finish. Another part of the agreement we have violated, kissing. It clearly states that kissing takes place only on date nights. I would say since we have kissed every night this week, we have violated that part as well. There is nowhere in our agreement for our activities last night or the night before and it didn't seem to matter to us then. So again, let's just forget about the Relationship Agreement. What do you think?"

"I agree with everything you have said. So what do we tell our moms? We had the agreement, we can't deny it. My mom is going to be very upset. How can we explain why we needed it?"

"You leave that to me. I know what I am going to say."

"I trust you."

Good, now how about we get ready and go have breakfast before we have to make that phone call."

The two of them each showered and got ready for breakfast. The hotel they were staying at did not included breakfast but had a restaurant attached. They enjoyed their breakfast and then made their way back to the room to make the call.

**A/N: I hope this is okay with everyone. The next chapter is considerably longer. Just have to finish typing. I hope to have it up by Monday but I will be away this weekend until Sunday night. The next chapter will have the phone call.**

**If Sheldon seems OOC it is because he is sort of getting that way. This trip is suppose to help him adapt to change and in my opinion change isn't just around you it is in you as well.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I was hoping to get this done yesterday but things just didn't work out. And when I was typing my written work, I changed some things that I had written so I hope you enjoy. I am trying to make the characters as true to life as possible but they are getting a bit OOC.**

**I don't own it.**

Sandy Fowler made her way up the stairs to apartment 4A. She was not pleased. Her husband had refused to come with her. He did not want to meet Sheldon under these circumstances. It wouldn't be fair to him or Amy. Besides he trusted his daughter. If she was comfortable with the agreement then so was he.

She knocked on the door to 4A and was greeted by Leonard.

"Good morning Mrs. Fowler." He said in greeting. "How are you today?"

"Good morning Leonard. I'm doing as well as can be expected considering. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Everything is set up for you on my computer. Mary will be back any moment from church."

"She went to church? Why would she do that? The kids are calling at 11. It's now 10:30, will she be back in time?"

"She left at 8:30; I actually expected her back by now."

Just as Sandy was about to reply, the door opened and Mary walked inside.

"Oh, good morning Sandy. I trust you are well this morning." She said brightly.

"Well is not the word I would use." She answered her.

"I don't understand why you wouldn't be. It is a beautiful morning the Lord has granted us with today."

"Aren't you the least bit apprehensive about the call we are about to receive?" She asked her.

"Now I am not the one who should be feeling that way. It should be our children, but knowing my Shelly there is a perfectly good explanation as to why he needs an agreement to be in a relationship with your daughter."

"Oh I am pretty sure I am aware of the reason. It is to control Amy. She is very naïve when it comes to relationships having never really been in one. I'm sure he was able to manipulate her into signing it. Tell me Mary, how many girlfriends has your son done this to before?" She asked angrily.

"Now wait just a minute." Mary answered back. "My son is not controlling your daughter. He has his quirks. He likes order in his life and I am sure this is just another piece of his ordered life. I am sure he just thinks of this as another way to keep the order."

"Yes by controlling Amy!"

Leonard had gone back to his room to get ready to leave but he soon heard the two women arguing. He thought he should go back and check to see what was happening. When he got back to the living room he saw to very angry women staring each other down.

"My son is not controlling. I raised him better than that. The one we should be worried about is Amy. What kind of girl pushes a man into living with her? We have a name for women like her in my church."

"How dare you!" Sandy screamed at Mary. "My Amy is not that kind of girl. I am sure she has a good reason to want to live with Sheldon."

"Yes to sin, that…" But Leonard cut her off.

"Ladies!" He interrupted. "This is not the time to be fighting or name calling. You need to pull it together. This is not going to help anything."

"Stay out of this Leonard." Mary said to him. "This is not your concern."

"It is my concern as you are fighting over two very dear friends of mine. And I do know what is going on. If you continue to fight you will not get any respect from either of them."

"If you know what is going on why don't you enlighten us." Sandy interjected.

"Now I promised them last night that I would not get involved in their personal affairs. It is up to them how much they share with you, not me. They have a perfectly good explanation; you need to trust me on this one. The fighting will not help you. It will solve nothing."

"Maybe you are right." Mary said. "Let's see what Sheldon and Amy have to say before jumping to any conclusions."

"I suppose I can wait for the details of the agreement." Sandy agreed.

"Good, then if you two are okay, I will be taking my leave. I will be right across the hall at Penny's if you need me for anything."

"Thank you Leonard." Mary said to him.

As soon as he left the computer chimed indicating the call coming in from them. Sandy hit the answer button and Sheldon and Amy appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, mom." Amy said to her mother as she appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, Amy, Sheldon." Sandy said to them. "It is good to see you."

Sheldon and Mary exchanged pleasant greetings as well.

"Well I am sure you are aware of the reason we called you this morning." Sheldon addressed them both.

"Yes and I believe both Sandy and I have a few questions." Mary answered him.

"I am sure you do. But we would first like you to hear our side of the story. We are aware of what you have been told. If after our explanation you still have questions we will be happy to answer them for you. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes." They both answered at once.

Amy started the story about how they had met and how at first they were just friends. She explained how they had a relationship of the mind. She then reminded them both of how they each had met the other.

"Sheldon had apparently lost his mind over our fight, mom. I had to see it for myself." She recalled.

"I did not lose my mind over you. I simply bought 25 cats since they don't argue with a person or question their intellectual authority."

"Oh Shelly, call it what you want, but it was a little creepy. I was so glad Leonard had called me to tell me you had girl troubles. I even asked if she was a real girl, not something you guys cooked up in the lab. After I met Amy, I knew she was perfect for you. I had never met someone so unique in all my life. She was so equally matched for you. But if I had come out and told you, you would never have seen it at all. I had to do something to get you to be friends with her."

"Yes mom we know. You used reverse psychology to get me to become her friend again. Pretty sneaky stuff there don't you think? Although I can't say I am complaining now." He said to her and gave Amy's hand a squeeze. She smiled at him. "But anyway, go ahead and continue, Amy."

"Thank you Sheldon. Shortly after we rekindled our friendship, you were pestering me to go on another date. This time it was with that guy Steve from your work. I had no intention of going on another date for awhile. Dad called and warned me you were on the match making hunt again. He asked me about my relationship with Sheldon. I explained to him that we were only friends but he suggested I ask him to pose as my boyfriend and then maybe you would back off for a bit. As Sheldon had never before met a mother he had no idea what to do or how to act so I coached him on what to say. We know how well that went. He is a terrible liar and I am surprised you even bought any of it at all."

"Why what did he say?" Mary was curious.

"He told me that they had sex like wild animals. He ended the call by telling me it was time to make love to my daughter's vagina. It was terrifying."

"Sheldon!" Mary admonished him.

"It was what Amy told me to say."

"Not in those words, but anyway, I later told my mom it was a hoax and that I was not interested in going out with anyone. I had a perfectly acceptable male companion who was just a friend but would go almost anywhere with me. He even accompanied me to a wedding. So I didn't need a boyfriend when I had such a good friend in Sheldon. We even did a little experiment with our friends to see how quickly gossip could spread around."

"That was fun." Sheldon said.

"Well anyway, my feelings for him started to change about a year after we met. I wasn't sure why but I knew I wanted to be more than just friends. One night when we went out on a girl's night, in which Sheldon tagged along, I kissed him. Well at least that is what he said. I don't remember much about that evening. I used poor judgment and had a bit too much to drink. Before you say anything mom I should have listened to you. I have never drank that much again. I don't remember the kiss at all. I have little flashes every now and then about that night."

"You definitely kissed me." Sheldon teased.

"Yes well we rebooted our relationship back to where we both agreed it worked. Sometime later that year, I decided things with Sheldon were not progressing at a pace I wanted. We were kind of dating but we had not made it official. My friends pointed out to me if I wasn't happy with it maybe I needed to make a change. So when Stuart from the comic book store asked me out, they encouraged me to go out with him. I wasn't sure but I agreed."

"I knew they influenced that decision."

"The night of Stuart and my second date, Sheldon showed up and asked me to be his girlfriend. I had been waiting for so long for him to ask I readily agreed."

"Let me be clear on this." Sandy said. "You were on a date with another man and Sheldon interrupted the date to ask you to be his girlfriend and you said yes."

"It may not have been my finest moment, but like I said I had waited for that moment for so long, it felt right. Stuart was not right for me. He is a really nice guy but not nearly up to my intellectual standards. We finished our date and Stuart walked me to the apartment where we found Sheldon waiting for me." She left the part out about him being in the apartment. She didn't want to freak her mom out more than she already was. "It was then he showed me the Relationship Agreement. It was 31 pages long. I knew he had been working on it for some time. Now I am going to let Sheldon take over this part since he wrote the agreement and has his reasons for wanting it."

"Now this is the part we have been waiting to hear." Sandy said while Mary nodded.

Sheldon took a deep breath. When he agreed he would explain the logic behind the agreement, he didn't think he would be this nervous. He had written it and had wanted it. It only made sense that he be the one to tell this part of the story.

"Let me first explain that my feelings for Amy as more than a friend began to change around the time she took Leonard to a wedding. Now before anyone jumps to conclusions, after the first one we went to she didn't want to go to another with me. I told her to ask Leonard. He was in a long distance relationship with Raj's sister Priya at the time so I didn't think I had anything to worry about. But he came home and said he had a great time with her. She really got him to loosen up. Then he made a remark about his groin being injured somehow. I jumped to the conclusion that they had engaged in coitus and I karate chopped in the shoulder. After hearing the explanation later, I felt foolish. He apparently pulled something dancing. Anyway, that is when I began writing the agreement. I didn't want her to be with anyone else but me. I didn't see it as likely, but I couldn't be sure. But I kept it from her because she never seemed to be interested in anyone else. Except that time with Zack, but that's a different story. So I began typing up what I would want if she was my girlfriend. It sounds silly, but I like order in my life. Having a girlfriend was not going to change that. So after the wedding, things got back to normal. We went everywhere together. Like she said earlier, it was like we were dating but had no title to go with it. So you can imagine my surprise when she agreed to go out with Stuart. I was beyond upset. I took it out on anyone who would cross my path. I even asked Penny out on a date in a vain attempt to make her jealous."

"You did?" Amy interrupted.

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you. So after that first date she had with him, I finished the relationship agreement. I had to tell her I didn't like the idea of her dating other men. But I had no idea how to do that. The agreement at the time was a safety net for me. It really didn't change anything about our relationship with the exception of date nights. I reserved one night a month. Now before you get on my case about that, I know it was stupid. That was the one night we would go out just us. Even though we did many things just the two of us, I put aside a time to go out wherever we decided together. No one else was to join us."

"Ha!" Amy interrupted again.

"Please don't remind me again." He pleaded with her.

"What?" Mary asked.

"Well I guess now I don't have a choice do I?" He said. Amy just smiled at him. "On the night of our second anniversary I invited our friend Raj. I brought him so he could keep her occupied. Not my finest moment, may I say? So anyway, after she almost left me that night, I knew never to try and find a loophole in the agreement again. To continue, the agreement also had a section for being sick, we will take care of each other if we fall ill. We are to give each other notice for a pending trip, 72 hours notice and there were protocol to follow. I violated that the weekend of that birthday party I was suppose to attend. I wanted to play a video game with my friends even though Amy had followed every part of the agreement in arranging the trip. I got out of it by being a jerk. I used it as a way to get my way. Then the physical side of our relationship. At the beginning there was going to be no physical contact at all. Amy had made it clear the day we met that she was not interested in a physical relationship. I was happy to accommodate that. I didn't realize she had changed her mind about that though. So our agreement, had no room for physical touch at all."

"I'm curious, what do you mean Amy had made it clear she didn't want physical contact." Sandy asked them.

"On my first date with men I would tell them that all forms of physical contact up to and including coitus were off the table."

"You didn't?"

"Yes I did. Why do you think I never had a second date? When I said that to Sheldon he bought me a beverage. It did not turn him off at all. We talked for 3 hours the day we met and I got his phone number. Something that had never happened with those other guys."

"Of course not, most guys don't want to hear you are not interested in sex." Mary interjected. "My Shelly was raised to respect a woman so you probably turned him on in your own way."

"Things started to change in the physical end of our relationship around the time our friend Howard went to space. When his rocket took off I grabbed Amy's hand. Let me tell you that is a big step for me. She has been negotiating with me ever since. I have accommodated it because I need to be pushed in that direction. And Mrs. Fowler, I am a germaphobe. Most of the women I have met want a physical relationship. Amy was different when we met. I didn't like to touch people. So the thought of exchanging fluids through kissing and bodily fluids through other means seemed unnecessary. Since she felt the same I added it to the agreement. We have changed so much from hand holding to cuddling to even kissing because of her. I know this agreement seems like I was controlling Amy, and as I look back on it, I agree. It was my way of making sure she wouldn't leave me again. Maybe I did lose my mind when she walked out of my life that first time. I couldn't have that happen again. I am not a fan of you had asked me 10 years ago if I ever thought I would be travelling with my girlfriend, I would have laughed at you for even beginning to believe I would allow myself to be in this kind of relationship. My friends didn't know what I was. Was I asexual, homosexual or a robot. It's true. I know what they thought. I just never joined in their conversations about that topic, but only because I didn't have time for it. My first love has always been science. I didn't think I had time for anything else. Then I met Amy. My Meemaw used to tell me that there was someone out there for me. I used to laugh because I wasn't interested. She told me she was never either until she met my Pop Pop. She was never getting married ever, and then he swept her of her feet. I loved that story, but I didn't believe her. Now I do. Amy has changed me and I have accepted that change. This is why we have decided to get rid of our agreement as of last night."

"Wait, what?" They asked.

"Amy and I have broken so many of the clauses in that thing this week alone that we decided no harm has come from it and we are happier because of the things we have done."

"Which is what exactly?" Mary asked.

"Not your business, Mary." Amy said. "Or yours, mom." She quickly added when she saw her mom open her mouth.

"Thank you Amy. Now we came on this trip to figure some things out. One of them being our relationship. We know you know we had a fight last week. Amy had extremely bad timing. I had a rough day and I then said some things to her that were hurtful. I am just glad she has forgiven me. What we have decided is to see how things go on this trip before making any decisions about where we will live. I know mom this is not what you want to hear. But let me remind you how many significant others Missy and George have lived with and you didn't cause this much of a scene. I know that you think I need your guidance with things and that was true and still is to a point. But now I have a girlfriend whom I love dearly and she is going to be my guide if you can accept that. You have to trust me to make these decisions."

"I trust you Sheldon. And I know how much you love Amy. I can see it by the way you look at her and by the way you are defending her."

"And I trust you Amy. I know I have been controlling, but I really do think you have a good man here. He truly loves you."

"And I love him mom."

"Well now that we have all this settled. We still have a lot of things to work out and we need the space. We will keep in touch but we ask that you let us call you and not the other way around. Our friends have agreed to that as well."

"I think we can handle that. You are adults after all." Sandy said and Mary nodded in agreement.

"Well then we are going to sign off and we will call you when we reach our next destination." Sheldon said.

"Goodbye." They all said at once and the call was disconnected.

"Well that went better than expected." Amy said to him

"Let's just hope they understand our wishes." He said.

"Oh I think they will."

**A/N: I think they set their moms straight don't you? Well let me know if you don't, I can handle it. Your reviews help me think clearly. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for the delay. Like I said before I don't have my laptop so I am relying on the family PC. Between my husband and kids it is hard to get to the computer. Anyway I have the next 4 chapters written and now I am able to type them. So they will hopefully all be posted by the end of the week. This chapter is another discussion between Sheldon and Amy that they need to have. I know I have Sheldon discussing many feelings and that is OOC but I try to make his part of the discussion his own. He may not like it but they have to discuss it. This chapter has some suggestive parts so I am going to rate it M just for that...no smut though.**

**I don't own the Big Bang Theory although sometimes I wish I did.  
**

Sheldon and Amy spent the rest of the day playing Counterfactuals. They even made up some new scenarios for the game. After a while they got hungry and decided to go get dinner.

They asked the desk manager for a recommendation and were directed to a Thai food restaurant about 4 blocks down the street. They made their way to the place and enjoyed their meal. After dinner they made their way back to the restaurant.

"So what are the plans for the next 3 weeks?" Amy asked him once they had settled in for the night.

"I was thinking we could leave on Tuesday and travel to South Dakota. I have never seen Mt. Rushmore. What do you think?"

"I like that. I have never seen it either. Where else do you have in mind?"

"Is there some place you would like to go?"

"I have never really traveled on the east coast and would love to go somewhere along there."

"How about Philadelphia? They have the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and there is a science museum I went to as a kid called the Franklin Institute. What do you think?"

"That sounds great and then could we maybe go to Disney World? I have always wanted to go. I know it is so much bigger than Disney Land. What do you think?"

"I think we could end our trip there and then maybe we can fly back. A train trip from there will be long. What do you think?"

"I love it."

"Great we can start looking tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow? We have plenty of time left tonight."

"Well um, I was thinking…" But she cut him off by kissing him.

"What did you have in mind Dr. Cooper?" She smiled as he kissed her back.

They continued kissing and Sheldon took off Amy's nightgown and discarded it on the floor. They had an extremely passionate night and fell asleep wrapped in each others' arms.

The next morning the two woke up and they shared an intense shower. They then went to breakfast. Upon returning to the hotel room, they began searching for trains to the cities they had chosen.

"We can't get to Mt. Rushmore by train so why don't we rent a car and drive there. We can then drive back here on Friday and leave from here to get to Philadelphia. We can stay there a week and then go to Disney. We will fly back a week after that. How does that sound?" Sheldon asked her as he searched his computer.

"I think it sounds wonderful." She answered him.

"So shall we go and see if we can rent a car. Then maybe we can go to the science museum."

"Let's go then."

They made their way to the train station where they not only booked the trip to Philadelphia for Friday but were able to find a car rental place. They decided they would leave the next morning and make the 7hr drive to Mt. Rushmore. They would stay there until Friday morning and return back to the train station for a 7:10pm departure.

As Amy drove them to the museum, Sheldon decided to bring up a topic that he wasn't sure how to approach.

"Amy I have to ask you something."

"What is it?" She asked with a bit of trepidation.

"Well I'm not sure how to put this. It is kind of a sensitive topic."

"Why do I have a bad feeling now?"

"Oh no it's nothing like that. It's just that now that we have become intimate I wanted to discuss what we are going to tell people when we get back home. I know our friends have agreed to leave us alone while we are away, but I am afraid what might happen when we get back. I also know what goes on at your girls' nights. I know the kind of topics you ladies discuss."

"Well what do you want them to know? I have to be honest, the girls know we have been kissing on a more regular basis and I may have told Penny the other day that you told me you love me."

"Well that pretty much means the entire group now knows."

"And this is a bad thing why? Are you ashamed about it?" She was a bit angry.

"That is not what I meant at all. It's just…" But she cut him off.

"It's just what? Are you afraid they will mock you? Is that what it is? You can't handle a bit of joking from your friends."

"Maybe it is. I know how they are though. They've been mocking me for as long as I have known them, especially Howard. I'm not sure I am ready for that kind of ridicule."

"Sheldon, remember our Dungeons and Dragons night when I told you that they all thought our relationship was a joke."

"Of course I do. I told you that night that I didn't believe that. I don't think this is a joke."

"Well ever since then, you have made tiny steps in our relationship. Not huge enough for me to know how you felt but the little things. You stopped complaining when we held hands. You even initiated it a few times. Our friends saw it and they knew before you told me. And they told me. And guess what? I didn't believe them. So if you think they will tease you for loving me, I doubt it because I think they already know."

"What do you mean they told you? How could they know?"

"At Christmas, when you were in Texas helping your sister, we had a discussion about what our lives would be like if you weren't in them. They asked me what mine would be like. I told them it would be so much different. Howard teased, yes of course he did, and said I was allowed to say better. But it's not true. Before I met you I had no friends. So my life would be completely different. However they pointed out that you had changed and how much you listen to me and my opinion."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's think back to the things I've made you do or said to you to put a thought in your mind. When you made that blunder finding the super element, I said I was embarrassed that you could make such a simple mistake. You said it was the most romantic thing I could have said to you."

"You were honest. You didn't sugar coat it for me. You didn't say it didn't matter because the Chinese team still found the element. I was so happy you did that."

"At Thanksgiving, I made you apologize to Howard and Bernadette for the way you were treating them in their home."

"I blame the alcohol."

"Sheldon!"

"Sorry, you're right. I treated them poorly."

"Why did you just say that?"

"Because you pointed it out to me."

"That is what I have been saying. I can get you to do the little things. When your nephew was born, I told you that you should go back in the room. You did not want to at all. You were upset he had been crying his entire life. I pointed out to you that you could be a big influence on him and you then agreed to go back in the room. The group was impressed. Do you think Leonard could have gotten you to do that?"

"I suppose not."

"But when they pointed out how much of an influence I was on you. Leonard told me you cared more than I realized I scoffed at them. I told them if that was the truth I wouldn't be living by myself."

"Amy…" he started.

"Let me finish. He then showed me proof."

"What was that?" He had no idea what she possibly could have seen.

"He showed me your screen saver."

"Oh well I put all my favorite things on that."

"That is what Leonard told me. That is when I knew you really cared. Plus you agreed to go away with me for the weekend at Valentine's Day."

"But I only did that because of the train."

"You went. That is what counts. Did you know Bernadette and Howard had a bet about whether you would come? Howard won. He had faith that you would come on the trip while Bernadette did not. What does that say about your friends, especially him?"

"He bet I would come? I am surprised it wasn't Bernadette who believed in me."

"Like you said we talk at our girls' nights. She hears my frustrations. She knows what we did last year for the same holiday. She knows I cancelled to please you. She figured I would be fine if you backed out on it. We talk. We need the outlet to vent our frustrations. I didn't want a relationship before I met you. And neither did you. I remember what I said to you the day we met. But then I also remember the conversation afterwards. It was fascinating. I never met someone I could relate too as much as I did you. And now that we are in this relationship, sometimes I have to let out the good and the bad and the girls are there to listen. I know more about Howard and Leonard than I care to know, but it is our outlet."

"I must admit, I have spoken with Leonard about things as well."

"You have?" She was surprised by this admission.

"Yes, I have asked his opinion on some things. Plus we've had our talks about the frustrations we have. How do you think I found out about the proposal? I won't talk with the others though. Raj would give me his hippy dippy advice and Howard would give me the sex talk. And I really don't want to hear that from him. Penny is more than enough for me."

"Penny? What does Penny tell you exactly?" She was concerned as she had shared some pretty personal things with her. She hoped it hadn't gotten back to him.

"She just thinks we should have been more intimate by now. She told me you wouldn't wait forever. I told her I was working on it."

"You told me that too. I never knew you talked to Penny about us."

"With all the gossip she spreads, I am surprised she hasn't told you about my coming to her for advice. She is the one advised me to by you jewelry after our first fight. Of course the tiara was not her idea. That was all me."

"She told you to buy me jewelry? That doesn't seem right. It is kind of shallow. I can't believe that was her advice."

"No the jewelry was her advice not the gift. Leonard told me to do that. He said something else but I wanted something other than to have to talk to you about what was bothering you so he told me to buy you something. I was going to get you a humidifier but Penny insisted on jewelry."

"Okay it makes more sense now. I still can't believe you ask Penny for advice."

"You know she was the one who forced me into that first date with you."

"Forced?"

"At the time it was forced." He corrected.

"Nice save."

"Anyway, she really does give good advice sometimes. She is a good friend for the most part."

"She really is. Well we have arrived at the museum. Was there something else we needed to discuss?"

"We completely avoided the original topic of this discussion."

"Listen if you don't want me to tell the girls I won't. But I won't lie if they ask. Can you understand that?"

"I agree. I wouldn't be able to lie if the guys ask me either."

"That's true." She laughed.

They got out of the car and made their way into the museum. They spent the day pointing out all the inaccurate scientific facts they found. They had quite the enjoyable day.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: As promised I am trying to get these out a bit quicker. The chapters were written in advance so I am hoping they don't feel rushed. This one has no Shamy. Let's see what the gang is up to this time around. Shamy will be back. I have some big things planned for them.**

**I don't own it nope not at all**

Monday evening in Pasadena, the five remaining members plus the newest addition met in 4A for dinner. As usual they ordered Thai food.

"So have you guys thought about a date for your wedding? Raj asked Penny and Leonard while they were settling in.

"We were thinking in about a year. I want my brother to be there, but since he is in jail right now we have to wait for him to get out." Penny answered.

"That's nice." Bernadette said.

"Do you have any ideas as to where you want to have it though?"Raj asked.

"We haven't really thought about it. Although I have made us some appointments to look at places this week. Without a firm date it is hard to book a place. We do know we want the wedding to be small. We want just immediate family and some friends. No more than 75 people."

"Are you having a church wedding?" Bernadette asked. "My mother was really upset we didn't have ours in a church."

"Yeah that may have given my mother the heart attack that would have killed her. Why didn't we do it in a church again?" Howard joked.

"Yes well, no church wedding for us." Penny answered. "The only one of us I can see getting married in a church is Sheldon. But that would be for his mother."

"As if he will ever get married." Howard laughed.

"Howie!" Bernadette yelled at him.

"Come on Bernie, you have to admit it seems unlikely that Sheldon will ever be getting married."

"If I had asked you a year ago if he would be traveling alone with his girlfriend, what would you say? And aren't you the same guy who convinced me that he would go away for Valentine's Day? I am still finding Lego pieces from that damn R2D2."

"You're right. But let's think about this logically. If he and Amy were to get married, they would have to have sex. Amy is not going to be okay if he denies her that during marriage. So I will say it again, Sheldon will not get married."

"How do you know they aren't having sex already?" Emily weighed in on the conversation. She didn't know Sheldon or Amy really at all as she met them both once, but some things are easier to see when you are an outsider.

"Listen, Emily, I know you don't know Sheldon or Amy but let me tell you about Sheldon. He is a germaphobe. He also can't stand to be touched. In sex there is a lot of touching. I just don't see them ever doing it."

"I may not know them, but I know what I saw. I was observing the other night while you all had your FaceTime with them. They seemed awfully close. They were holding hands and at one point I saw his hand move to her thigh. If they aren't doing it now, they will be soon. They looked like they were in love to me."

"See it is not just me who says they are in love." Raj weighed in.

"Look I know she loves him and he cares for her a lot but love? I'm not so sure." Leonard spoke up.

"He told her." Penny said.

"WHAT?!" The entire group yelled at once.

"When?" Asked Bernadette.

"How do you know?" Raj asked second.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Leonard asked her.

"Because everyone says I can't keep a secret and that I butt in too much in their relationship. Amy told me the other night when I spoke to her briefly. It was the same night Mary Cooper showed up on your doorstep." She said.

"Okay, we know you can keep a secret, but this is huge." Bernadette said. "When did it happen?"

"She told me he told her on Wednesday night. She said he told her really kind of nonchalantly. It just came out in general conversation. They discussed it for a while. And now they know. It was so sweet. I really wanted to tell you all. Now it seems like a good time."

"Wow." Leonard said. "I knew he cared for her more than he ever expressed to me, but I never thought he would tell her he loved her. Actually I never thought he would ever express his feelings toward her."

"I think it is sweet." Bernadette said.

"It's so, so beautiful." Raj was in tears.

"Geez, I didn't know he had it in him." Howard said.

"Well I guess it explains why they don't want us involved in their relationship. They know on their own how they feel without us telling them and giving them advice about everything. I know we have asked Amy countless times if he was worth it." Bernadette admitted.

"Bernadette's right, we need to back off. I have tried pushing Sheldon into admitting his feelings more often than not and now that we know he has actually expressed them to Amy, we should stay out of it. That means no more jokes." He looked right at Howard.

"Alright, alright I can lay off the guy." He said to them. "I guess this means he isn't a robot after all."

The group glared at him.

"Well at least let me get it out of my system before he gets back." He laughed.

"Fair enough, but no more." Raj said to him.

"Okay, no more." Howard agreed. "Now do we think they have done it?"

"I don't want to have this conversation." Leonard said. "I don't really care if they did or they didn't plus and I can't stress this enough I don't want to know. It is not our business."

"Yeah I agree." Raj said.

"Fine I don't care either. So does anyone know how the conversation with the mothers went yesterday?" Howard asked.

"I spoke with Mary after and she seemed satisfied with their talk. She said they answered most of the questions they had. However I wasn't sure it was going to start out good when I left the two of them alone in the living room." Leonard said.

"Why what happened?" Bernadette asked him.

Leonard told them about the screaming match between Mrs. Fowler and Mary.

"Mary implied Amy was some kind of harlot? I don't believe it." Bernadette said shocked.

"She did but Mrs. Fowler was dishing it out about Sheldon too. She kept saying that he was controlling Amy and he just wanted to keep her all to himself. I stopped them before it got out of hand, but they were really upset with each other. Mrs. Fowler seemed content enough when she left, although I did hear her muttering something about a big mistake. I'm not sure if she was talking about Sheldon or something else. Mary did tell me something that surprised me though."

"What was that?" Raj asked.

"Apparently Sheldon and Amy have decided to get rid of the Relationship Agreement."

Howard spit out his water. "I'm sorry I think I misunderstood you. Did you just say they got rid of the Relationship Agreement?"

The rest of the group looked stunned.

"I'm sorry, what is the relationship agreement again?" Emily asked.

Raj quickly explained it to her.

"And they got rid of it?" She asked again.

"That's what Mary said." Leonard answered.

"Wow that's big. Did she give any reasons as to why they decided to do that?" Bernadette asked him.

"She said something about the fact they had violated many of the things in it this week alone. They seemed okay with not having it."

"Violating it how?" Penny asked.

"They wouldn't tell. Amy said it wasn't any of their business."

"That confirms to me they are having sex." Howard said.

"Howie!" Bernadette once again yelled at him.

"Now wait, I think I agree with him on this one. If it was just a simple matter of hand-holding and kissing, why wouldn't they just say that? I think they broke it big time." Raj agreed.

"Well we won't know unless they tell us." Bernadette said. "We will not interrupt their trip again. If they get back and want to share, then we will find out. Does everybody agree?

"Yes." They all said at once.

They all then enjoyed their dinner and parted ways. They agreed to meet at the Cheesecake Factory the following evening for dinner. They still were following the schedule that had been laid out by Sheldon.

**A/N: It was short I know. But I think the gang realizes the Shamy needs to be left alone. We will see. The gang will be figure in big time in a few more chapters. Next up...the trip to South Dakota.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Okay back to Shamy. They are on their way to Mt. Rushmore. They are going to have a discussion, of course they are, what would you do with 7hrs? It will be about their upcoming trip plus some other things. I know Sheldon is OOC but I think he works in this story. I'm posting 2 chapters today...to make up for my lack of posting.**

**I don't own it...**

Tuesday morning, Sheldon and Amy woke up early so they could begin the journey to South Dakota.

"According to the GPS, it is about 400 miles from here. It will probably take most of the day to get there." Sheldon said as he looked at the map on his phone.

"Do we have a place to stay when we get there?"

"Yes I made us a reservation at the Comfort Inn. It is about 11 miles from the sight. Plus I happened upon a deal this morning for Philadelphia. It got really good reviews on Priceline, 8 out of 10. It was the deal of the day. I had to get it. I haven't found us a place in Disney, but we could always stay on sight."

"Well we have some time to find a place there. I'm sure we will get something. Are we renting a car in Philadelphia?"

"There is no need. Philadelphia has an excellent public transportation system. It has buses, trains and the subway. We can get anywhere we want using that. We are staying near the airport. There is a train station right next to the hotel."

"Wait you are okay with the public transportation system? Since when? I thought you hated everything about it. You even have bus pants."

"We will mostly be riding trains Amy. We should be fine."

"Who are you and what have you done with my real boyfriend?"

"I have gotten much better with public transportation. Do you think Leonard drives me to your place every time I come over? And he certainly doesn't pick me up. I have become very familiar with the buses in our area. And I don't use bus pants anymore."

"Well I am impressed. But what about hobos?" She didn't know why she was asking this but she had to do it. "You checked the entire train when we went to Napa."  
"Have I even checked once on this trip?"

She thought about it and realized she hadn't. She just shook her head.

"I told you it doesn't matter anymore. I will be fine on those trains."

"Okay, if you say so. What about in Florida?"

"Well I have been thinking. I know you want to go to Disney and we will but there is also Universal Studios. They have the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I want to go there. They keep saying there will be one in our Universal, but I don't believe them. Plus the new park will be opening before we get there."

"That sounds like fun. I like Harry Potter. Let's go there too."

"Oh I am glad you agreed since I already bought the tickets."

"I said I would go anywhere you wanted to go. And besides I love theme parks. I would go to anyone. Especially if you ride the roller coasters with me." She added.

"Who said anything about roller coasters?" Sheldon asked her.

"You mean you won't go on Space Mountain with me?" She sounded disappointed.

"I didn't say that. I am just surprised is all. I didn't think roller coaster would be something you would like."

"Are you kidding I love roller coasters. How about you?"

"I enjoy a good roller coaster."

"Now that surprises me. I figured you would go with me but only because I begged you to go."

"Well to tell you the truth, I was afraid of them when I was little. My parents used to take us to Six Flags and they had a small coaster with a loop. I never wanted to go on it. One day my dad dragged me on it. He told me I had to get over my fear. And I loved it. I think I was about 5 or 6 at the time."

"He took you on a coaster when you were that young?"

"They didn't have as many restrictions when we were younger. If the parent was willing and seemed responsible they allowed the children on the ride. Plus I was always tall for my age."

"So you got over your fear by riding the ride. Kind of like that bird on your ledge a few years ago. Bernadette made you pet the bird to show you it wasn't that bad."

"I suppose you are right. I am still not a fan of birds though."

"So we will ride Space Mountain?"

"Absolutely and any other ride you want to ride."

"I love it! So besides the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia what else will we do there for a week?"

"Well there is the museum I mentioned. The Franklin Institute is what it is called. We went the summer after I started college. My mom thought if we went some place educational I would enjoy myself. She was right. I absolutely loved the museum. There is a model of a heart that we can walk through."

"That sounds amazing. Did you have anything else planned because I did some research the other night while you were in the shower and I found some things I think we could both enjoy."

"Oh yeah what are they?"

"Well the Constitution Center is right near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The website says it takes about 2 hours to go through completely. So we could maybe go there on the same day as the other two. I also was looking up some other museums and there was one that caught my eye. It is called the Mutter Museum. It contains a collection of medical oddities. I know you are not interested in what you like to call icky squishy stuff, but I would like to check it out if that is okay with you."

"If you want to do it, then we can do it."

"You know what else they have?"

"What's that?"

"They are the home to the America's First Zoo. It has been in existence for over 150 years."

"Wow that sounds amazing. We should definitely go there. Our trip seems pretty planned out then now."

"I guess it is. We are going to have a great time. But remember you do have some things to think about while we are on this trip."

"Yes but I will have another month once we get back to decide on my career, even though I am leaning towards staying in string theory."

"That is not what I am talking about."

"I know what you are talking about and I have given that some thought. I have decided since I was in the apartment first I am not going to give it up. I will simply tell Leonard if he wants to move in with Penny he will have to go to her apartment or find something bigger someplace else."

"When do you plan on telling him this news?"

"I am not sure yet. That will all depend on one very important thing."

"And what is that?"

"Whether or not I have a roommate when this trip is over." He smiled at her.

"What does that mean?" She wanted it to mean he wanted to live with her but she still wasn't sure she wanted to push the matter.

"Amy, I am using this trip as a gauge to see how well we get along. I know we have great communication skills and we get along great. I know you know my routine and are willing to drive me wherever I want to go. I just don't want to fight over this again. I know you want to live with me. I have known for a while. Like I said earlier this week, last year I was scared we were moving too fast. Now on this trip alone we have come further than we did in the first 3 years of our relationship. And it has been great. But let's wait a bit longer before we decide on that step. I hope you can accept that."

"I had a feeling this trip was a test. But I want you to know that I am happy with the way things are especially now. If you need more time, then we can wait."

"Well since we have been sharing a bed, I have never slept better. That in and of itself makes me not want that to end."

"Really?" She was surprised by his admission.

"I don't lie Amy. You know that. My mind has opened up to so much in the last week and I have you to thank for that. Maybe that damn psychic was right after all."

"The one that fed you some kind of malarkey? That was your line not mine. What did she say exactly?"

"I'm not sure I want you to know. I've always said those kind of people were extra jumbo mumbo jumbo. And that night I was so rude to the woman. I told her she was a fraud. So now why do I believe she was correct in what she told me?"

"I can't answer that because I don't know what she said. Sheldon, you can trust me, I won't put down what she told you. I have a feeling it has something to do with you and me. Am I correct?"

"Yes. I just don't want you to be angry."

"Why would I be angry? If she said something about us and you didn't believe it, that's fine. How can I be angry about that? I feel the same way about psychics. They are frauds. Please tell me what she said."

"Alright. She told me to give myself to our relationship. She said if I did all my other pursuits would come into focus."

"So let me guess, you think because we had sex and you are considering staying in the field of string theory, plus you may want to live with me, the psychic was right?"

"Sort of….it was more what Penny said not what the psychic said though." He was afraid to confess that Penny had laid it out for him.

"What did she say?"

"She basically told me the psychic was telling me that you were the key to my happiness. I wasn't really listening to what the psychic had to say but when Penny's words hit me I heard her. I looked at her like she was crazy. And they you know what I did? I ran away. I saw the truth in front of me and I ran. I was so hurt by you that night because you lied. I have already told you that my feelings had been changing since October. I was fighting it. And then you showed up at my door wearing that school uniform. Do you know how hard it was to turn you away? What kind of man does that?"

"Sheldon, you didn't run away from the truth you ran away from some mumbo jumbo. You think it is the truth now because that is what you heard but if you hadn't heard it would you believe I was the key to your happiness? I don't think so. You were upset that night because I lied to you. Why would you not run when some psychic told you that your girlfriend, who just lied to you because she was sick of you complaining, could possibly be the key? If you hadn't heard what she said that night would you be unhappy now?"

"No but…"

"Listen to me. You have an eidetic memory. Think about this relationship. When have you been happy in it? When have you been upset? Then think about your job. When have you been most productive? When have you not? If you think back, what that woman said makes no sense. You excelled in your job before you met me. You were happy in your life before you met me. What does that say to you? How does that make me the key to your happiness? Now, don't get me wrong, I know you are happy now. So am I. I am not suggesting we break up, but I want to know if things are looking clearer because of me or because you have the time to think about what is going on in your life. The only distraction you have is me. No one is pressuring you, not our friends, not your bosses and especially not me. You make the decisions. I will stand by you in whatever you decide."

"I suppose you are right. I was just thinking about what she said and it made sense. I guess you could look at what she said as more of a guide. You do make me very happy. I can't see my life without you in it. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Okay enough hippy dippy feelings. Let's play Counterfactuals."

They spent the rest of the car trip playing Counterfactuals and the license plate game. Sheldon found 20 different states and 3 Canadian Provenances.

They checked into the hotel and spent the rest of the day relaxing. Amy decided to sit by the pool and read. Sheldon told her he would meet up with her later. He wanted to look for places to stay in Orlando. The truth was after the talk in the car and his declaration he had been thinking about something. He needed some time alone in order to put a plan into action.

**Got any ideas? I bet you do...stay tuned.**

**All the ideas in Philadelphia are real. If you are interested in icky squishy things the Mutter Museum is definitely it...plus some really gross things as well. Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest in America...no koalas though...sorry Sheldon.  
**

**I know if you are a fan of the Harry Potter park it doesn't open until this week but for my story purposes it opens sooner.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Okay so Sheldon has a plan and many of you probably can figure it out. Well maybe not but I think you are smart. He is going to start the ball rolling on that one. This chapter will be rated M because of some material there. Plus I have a little fun with this one. Hope you enjoy it. Remember I posted 2 today so if you didn't read chapter 15 you may want to go back and see how they got here.**

**I don't own it...it's Chuck and Bill we have to thank for that.**

While Amy was at the pool, Sheldon called Leonard. He answered rather quickly.

"Hey Sheldon, how's your trip?"

"We're having a great time. How are things at home?"

"We are all good. Where are you guys?"

"We arrived at Mt. Rushmore about an hour ago. "

"I've never been there."

"We haven't either. That is why we decided to come."

"Well take lots of pictures. So is there another reason for your call or did you want to just to check in?"

"There is a couple of reasons. First, have you and Penny decided where you will live?"

"Actually we have. After much consideration we have decided to move to her place. I realized it wasn't fair to ask you to move. This was your place first. I am the one who proposed to Penny. If we want to live together we should get our own place. I have asked the landlord to put us on a waiting list for a 2 bedroom if one becomes available."

"Thank you Leonard. I really appreciate your consideration. Now for my second request. Do you think you could ask the group to consider coming to Disney World during the last week of our trip? We will be arriving around the 9th. We will be going to Universal Studios first and then onto Disney."

"I can ask them, but why?"

At that moment, Amy walked back into the room.

"I can't tell you right now, I'll call you back." And he hung up on him.

"Who were you talking to and what couldn't you tell them?" Amy asked. "I was getting worried when you didn't come down. I came up to check on you."

"I called Leonard to check in with them. He told me that Penny and he are going to move into her apartment and have been put on a waiting list for a bigger place."

"That's great. This means you don't have to kick him out. But what couldn't you tell him?"

"I can't tell you either."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't" Sheldon had a feeling this might be harder than he thought.

"Oh come on please." She put her arms around him.

"Nope not going to work."

"Are you sure?" She kissed his neck.

"You're not playing fair."

"So tell me." She slid her hands up his shirt.

Sheldon kissed her with passion. He slowly moved her to the bed. He took her top off and began fondling her breasts. She let out a moan while he continued. He removed her bottoms and began rubbing her. She moaned in pleasure and he inserted a finger in her. She began to arch and shutter. Soon she was screaming his name. Once she came down from her release, he positioned himself on top of her and slipped inside. They moved together in perfect sync. She once again began to moan as he thrust inside her. They soon found their release together and he slowly slid out of her and rolled next to her.

"That was amazing." She said to him a bit out of breath.

"You are a vixen, Dr. Fowler."

"Yes well you're not so bad yourself, Dr. Cooper." She had completely forgotten what she wanted to know from him.

They showered and decided to go out to dinner. They found a diner up the road from the hotel and figured it was as good as anything for dining. Sheldon ordered his normal Tuesday meal, a cheeseburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato and barbeque sauce on the side and a lemonade. Amy ordered a tuna sandwich and fries.

The first thing Amy noticed about the waitress was how attentive she was to Sheldon. She hardly paid any attention to her. It didn't seem to matter to her that they were clearly together as they were holding hands the entire time. Some women were like that though. The next thing Amy picked up on was how many times Sheldon's lemonade glass got refilled without even having to ask. Amy had to ask the waitress when she was bringing out Sheldon's third. This woman clearly didn't care if he had a girlfriend or not. The final issue was when the orders came out. Sheldon's was exactly right and he was thrilled but hers on the other hand was completely wrong. The waitress brought her a BLT with chips. That was the final straw. She had to say something.

"Excuse me, Jennifer." Amy said politely to her as she was walking away.

"Yes." She answered sweetly.

"This order is completely wrong."

"What do you mean? Did they put it on the wrong bread? That happens a lot. I would be more than happy to take it back and have it put right."

"No it's not just the bread, although that is wrong as well. I didn't order a BLT. I ordered a tuna sandwich with fries. Could you have mistaken this for another table's order?" She thought maybe there was a logical explanation, before thinking the worst of the waitress, especially since she had offered to take it back.

"I'm sure it's yours as that is what I wrote down on the slip." She pulled out her slip and showed it to Amy. Amy saw that the burger order was written perfectly but scratched underneath was BLT on white toasted with mayo.

"Well I clearly remember ordering a tuna sandwich. I would never order a BLT as I dislike tomatoes."

Sheldon had been watching the interaction. Clearly this waitress had gotten the order wrong. Sheldon heard Amy order tuna. She seemed to be handling the situation well so far.

"Listen lady, whether you think you remember or not, you ordered the BLT. I have it written down right here. I guess you will have to pick off the tomatoes." She said rudely.

"So what you are saying is I am wrong? I would order something I dislike and you couldn't possibly have mixed up the orders on your slip. I don't even remember seeing you write down my order. You clearly got my boyfriend's right so you must know something about waitressing."

"I don't get orders wrong. You ordered the BLT and that is what you got. Deal with it!"

Sheldon had heard enough. This woman clearly was trying to get Amy upset and he wasn't going to take it anymore. Nobody messed with his girlfriend.  
"Excuse me, can I say something?" He interrupted.

"Yes, dear, is there something wrong with your order? I will be happy to take it back if I messed it up."

"You have got to be kidding me." Amy said.

"No my order is fine, thank you. However, my girlfriend ordered a tuna sandwich with fries and she does not have that in front of her."

"She ordered a BLT." The waitress corrected him.

"I have an eidetic memory, Jennifer, which means I remember everything. She hates tomatoes. Why would she order a sandwich with a main ingredient she hates? Now if you weren't so busy flirting with me in order to get a better tip, you may have gotten it correct. But since you did not write it down as Amy pointed out to you earlier, my guess is you just picked something off the menu to give her when you came out."

"Why would I flirt with you? You are clearly here with another woman."

"Oh, I may not be always good at picking up social cues, but in this case it was very clear what you were doing. So now that we have this all settled, I would like her to have her sandwich in front of her. And while you are back there correcting her order, I would like you to get your manager. I need to have a talk with them."

"Surely we don't need to bring him into this mess do we?" She tried again to flirt with Sheldon.

"Clearly you don't understand and now your listening skills are in question." He stopped a passing waitress. "Excuse me, Melissa." He said reading her name tag.

"Yes what can I do for you?" She said politely.

"I need to speak with your manager and Jennifer here doesn't seem to want to get him. Do you mind getting him for me?"

"Absolutely, sir." Melissa said smiling. She was clearly happy. This was not the first time Jennifer had pulled something with customers.

The manager came out and approached the table.

"Good evening sir. My name is Steve and I am the manager, you asked to speak with me. What can I do for you?"

"I would like to lodge a complaint about one of your waitresses." Sheldon said to him.

"Now which one was your waitress, Melissa or Jennifer?"

"Jennifer." Sheldon answered him.

"What did she do to upset you?" He asked him. He had a feeling he knew what was about to be said but wanted to hear it from this man's mouth.

"Well to begin with, her blatant flirting attempts to get a better tip, while I am clearly here with my beautiful girlfriend."

"I was not flirting!" Jennifer protested.

"Besides that," Sheldon continued, ignoring Jennifer's outburst. "Amy here ordered a tuna sandwich with lettuce and a side of fries. She was brought out a BLT. Amy hates tomatoes. When she pointed out the mistake, Jennifer told her she ordered the BLT. My order on the other hand was completely perfect. Mine was a very complicated order. So I want to know how one order which is very hard can be done so well, which by the way thank you kitchen for your reading skills, and hers which was actually quite simple, be done so completely wrong. I have also been given refills in a very timely matter while Amy had to ask to have hers refilled."

"Well I am sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused you Mr.?"

"It's Dr. Cooper." Sheldon answered him.

"Well yes, Dr. Cooper. I assure you this is not going to happen again in this diner." He looked at his waitress. "I'm sorry, Jennifer, but this is not the first time this week I have had this complaint lodged against you. You were given a warning about that type of behavior and told if it happened again we would have to let you go."

"You can't be serious? You are firing me? You really think I would flirt with this skinny excuse for a man. He's crazy! Who orders a cheeseburger with cheese on the side? And he's a doctor? I feel sorry for his patients."And with that she stormed out of the diner.

"I apologize Dr. Cooper and Ms.?"

"Dr. Fowler." Sheldon said.

"Two doctors? Wow! Again, I am really sorry and don't worry about the bill, it's on us. I will have Melissa here bring you out that tuna sandwich."

"Thank you sir." Sheldon said, shaking the man's hand.

Melissa was out within minutes with Amy's sandwich. The cooks had heard the disturbance and got right to work on the correct order. They had to do this more than once with Jennifer's orders. This was only the second complaint actually lodged though.

"I can't believe you did that" Amy smiled at Sheldon.

"We Texas men stick up for our women." He said to her.

"I don't think I could love you more than I do right now." She said to him. "I can't believe you recognized that she was flirting with you. I was ready to go all Nebraska on her."

Sheldon laughed.

"What? Penny taught me some things. How did you know she was flirting? You never saw when I would flirt with you."

"Oh I noticed it, I just ignored it for too long. And besides I told you my mind seems much clearer now." He smiled at her.

"Well I must say I like this new and improved Sheldon." She leaned over and kissed him. He didn't even protest that they were in public.

After they finished their meal, they went back to the hotel and Amy showed him just how appreciative she was of him.

**A/N: I hope you liked it. I wanted to show how much Sheldon has grown since meeting Amy. He never would have recognized a woman flirting with him...remember Ramona? Anyway I am not sure how OOC he was because he would stick up for Amy. That is what those Texas men do.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you everyone for taking the time to review and follow this story. I really appreciate all the thoughts about this story. A few notes from me: I tend to write as I think of things and not look back at what was already written. As a result when I did decide to look back on the story I noticed I repeated a few things. Thank you for not pointing it out to me. And another big error that I made and noticed it almost immediately but I won't change it just because it was so many chapters ago. I know they live at 2311 Los Robles Ave. I have no idea where 4311 came from. Oh well enough of my mistakes and on with the story. I am going to move at a bit of a brisk pace in Mt. Rushmore. I want to get to Philadelphia and then obviously onto Disney World...that is where the magic will happen.  
**

**I don't own it...**

The following morning, Sheldon sent a text to Leonard asking if he had spoken with everyone. Leonard replied that everybody was going to be able to leave on June 11. Sheldon thanked him and told him he would send more precise details of his plan via email to everyone. He then reminded him to be sure to let everyone know it was a surprise and not to tell Amy.

Once the two were up and had breakfast, they drove the 11 miles to the sight of Mt. Rushmore. They had looked up various things to do in the area and had settled on taking all the tours. They wouldn't take too long and it was good to be about the history of the attraction. They had a great day and posted many of their pictures on Facebook.

They decided the next day they would go to Devils Tower National Monument which was a couple hour drive from Mt. Rushmore. The time seemed to be going very quickly. They spent days exploring parts of the country they had never seen and nights exploring each other. Before they knew it Friday had arrived and they drove back to Colorado. They had a 7:10pm train leaving for Philadelphia. There would be a connection through Chicago.

They had been getting along extremely well. They began to understand each other's routines. Actually it was more Amy learning to adapt to Sheldon. They could see when the other needed space and would provide it for them. When Sheldon needed space, Amy would take to reading by the pool and when Amy needed space, Sheldon would go for a walk. He had discovered a comic book store right up the road from the hotel and had spent a couple of hours in there. The place reminded him of Stuart's back home and he realized how much he had missed it.

During one such break when Amy was at the pool, Sheldon made another phone call to Leonard.

"Hey buddy what's up?"

"I'm calling to make sure everyone is set for June 11. It is only a week and a half away. I want to make sure everything is going to be perfect."

"Yes Sheldon we are all set to come. The six of us and the Fowlers are all flying out in the morning. We have a layover in Houston where we will pick up your mom and Meemaw. We should arrive in Orlando by about 4pm. We all have reservations at Cinderella's Royal table for dinner at 7. You and Amy arrive at 7:30 and you do your thing. I still can't believe it though. We were just discussing this very topic the other day. No one thought it possible, but here you are proving us all wrong again. So is everything on your end set?"

"Yes I have made our reservations for 7:30 on the 11th at the Glass Slipper Table. Amy still doesn't know about it. We arrive in Orlando Monday at around 10:30. We are renting a car and we will be going to Universal Studios both Monday and Tuesday. We will go to Disney on Wednesday. I've also reserved a pavilion for the actual event on the 12th. I was so lucky they had a last minute cancellation. Everything is set for this to be perfect."

"Are you sure she is going to be okay with this? Most women like to plan these things themselves."

"She will love it!" Penny screamed from the background.

"Listen to your fiancé, Leonard. Amy is going to love it."

"You sure she is going to say yes?"

"Leonard!" Penny screamed again. She grabbed the phone from him.

"Hey Moonpie." Penny greeted him.

"Penny, only Meemaw can call me Moonpie."

"Okay, okay. Anyway, I can't believe you are going to do this. I didn't think you had a romantic bone in your body. Trust me; Amy is going to say yes. She once told me if you ever asked, she would latch onto you and never let go. You have nothing to worry about." She didn't mention it was during a discussion about Leonard proposing while having sex. Sheldon didn't need to know her ovaries would grab on just that she would.

"Thank you, but I don't have any doubts about that. Now are you all set with the tasks I have set for you?" He asked her.

"Yes. Bernadette and I have taken care of it, don't worry."

"I have no choice but to trust your judgment. Don't get anything to short or frilly. Amy won't like that."

"I know what she likes Sheldon, I am her best friend."

"What she likes, not you….keep that in mind. Oh I hear her coming in, change the subject."

"Well how about you let me talk to her."

"Okay here she is."

"Who is it?" Amy asked as Sheldon was handing her the phone.

"Penny."

"Oh okay. Hey bestie, how are you doing?"

"We are great, how are you doing?"

"This trip is fantastic."

Sheldon interrupted, "I'm going to take a shower."

"Okay." Amy said to him then turned her conversation back to Penny.

"What is next on your agenda?" Penny asked even though she knew the answer.

"Well we leave tomorrow to go back to Denver and then leave in the evening for Philadelphia. We get there on Sunday. We will stay for a week and then we are going to go to Orlando. We plan on going to Universal Studios and Disney World. We will be back on the 15th, I think."

"Why so soon I thought you had the entire month off?"

"I am not sure but we will be away 4 weeks at that point so maybe he just thinks that is more than enough time."

"Or maybe he wants to give you some time to move your stuff to his apartment."  
"I am not getting my hopes up, plus I told him I was really happy either way. Things are in a good place right now and I don't want to blow it by pushing him."

"So a good place you say? How good a place?"

"Let's just say we are happy. I am not telling you more. And you promised to stay out of it, remember?"

"Okay, just curious is all. I am happy for you guys anyway."

"So how goes the wedding planning?" Amy decided to change the subject before Penny asked out right if they were having sex.

"It is going great. As a matter of fact, we found the perfect place to have it. It is called Castle Green and it is right in Pasadena. They can have both the ceremony and reception. And we have a date. My brother is getting released on April 18. We decided we would wait a month just in case something happens, but we are tentatively scheduled for May 16, 2015 for our wedding date. And I want to ask you to be my maid of honor."

"I would be honored to do that, thank you. Will Bernadette be a bridesmaid as well?"

"Of course she will, as well as my sister and Leonard's sister. Beverly insisted and I don't want to piss off my new mother-in-law before the wedding. I already have a feeling she doesn't approve as it is."

"Any ideas on dresses?"

"I have a few ideas, but nothing specific picked yet. I wanted to wait for you to come home. I will email choices to you to look at."

"That sounds great, I can't wait. I hear Sheldon finishing in the shower and we have a long drive back to Denver tomorrow before a two day journey on the train."

"How is that going?"

"I wish we were flying but Sheldon is happy. And it really isn't as horrible as it sounds. I get to see some of the country. It just takes longer."

"Well I am happy for you. Have a great time and give us a call next week when you are in Philadelphia."

"Okay we will. Talk to you soon."

Sheldon came out of the shower as Amy was ending the call with Penny.

"You two gals get all your gossiping done?" He asked her.

"As a matter of fact we did. Penny and Leonard have picked a date for the wedding."

"Oh yeah? I'm surprised Leonard didn't mention it. Of course Penny took the phone from him before we finished our conversation. So when will this event take place?"

"May 16, 2015. Apparently her brother is scheduled for release on the 18th of April. And she asked me to be her maid of honor. I assume you will be the best man."

"Leonard asked me the other day."

"You didn't tell me that."

"It was during the phone call the first night we arrived when you were at the pool. I guess it slipped my mind. If I recall you distracted me." He smiled as he remembered.

"Oh was that the big secret you were hiding from me?" She recalled never getting out what he was hiding.

"Not that per say, but the fact that Penny was going to ask you to be the maid of honor. She wanted to do that herself." He was hoping she didn't notice him twitching as he was telling the lie.

"Okay, no more secrets though. I am surprised though. You are usually a terrible liar."

"Well like I said you distracted me and then seemed to forget yourself. And now you know so it's water under the bridge." He needed to get off of this subject.

"Okay well I am going to take my shower. You could have joined me but you chose to take one already."

"I have some emails to reply to anyway as tempting as it is for me to take a second one."

"Well then maybe I will take a bath."

She gave him a kiss and headed into the bathroom. Sheldon sent the necessary emails to the group and then needed to make an important phone call.

He grabbed Amy's cell phone and scanned through her contacts. He found the number he was looking for and dialed it. A man answered on the other end.

"I am only answering this call because my daughter is away on a trip and it could be an emergency." Jerry Fowler said as he answered.

"I understand, Mr. Fowler. My name is Sheldon Cooper."

"Oh you are my daughter's boyfriend. What can I do for you?"

"I understand that my friend Leonard has informed you and your wife of my plans with Amy in Disney World. I am also aware that you have agreed to come to the event."

"Yes so why are you calling?"

"Well I would like to formally ask for her hand in marriage."

"Wow, I just assumed that since we had agreed to come we were giving our blessing. What a respectful young man you seem to be. I absolutely give my blessing and look forward to meeting you in a couple of weeks."

"Thank you sir. I have to go, Amy will be out of the bath any minute."

"Okay goodbye Sheldon. And thank you for loving my daughter so much."

**A/N: I hope everyone likes the fact that Sheldon asked permission. I think his mom and Meemaw would be proud.  
Reviews are always welcome. Oh and Castle Green is a place for wedding receptions in Pasadena. You can take a look if you like.  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Okay so they will be on the train to Philadelphia. I wanted to explain at the beginning why Amy has never been anywhere on the east coast even though she went to Harvard, I did not forget that. Anyway this is a filler chapter with some plot movements but not a whole lot. I hope you enjoy.**

**I don't own any of it. I wish I did because I would write things differently.**

Even though Amy had gone to college near Boston, she had never traveled far from campus. She never had anyone to travel with. Her roommate seemed to go everywhere. Every weekend, Amy was left alone while she would to New York, Philadelphia, and even one weekend to Miami. Was Amy ever invited? Of course not. She was considered the weird girl who lived with the most popular girl in the dorm. That was the reason she chose to live off campus after her first year. Now she was traveling across the country with her boyfriend. She really wanted to go back and tell her 15 year old self it would get better.

Unfortunately, since they were traveling over night she didn't get to see the country. They found their room and settled in for the night. They decided to continue watching _Buffy_ until Amy fell asleep around 11. Sheldon decided to stay up a little bit longer so he could do some research. He felt better about his plan after speaking with Penny the night before. He had no doubt Amy would say yes and Penny had confirmed that but something Leonard had said made him think twice. What if she wanted to plan everything herself? What if Disney wasn't her idea of the perfect place to have it? Originally he had thought about doing it at Universal Studios. After all, they had the Marvel Superhero section and Harry Potter, what could be better. But no, it wasn't romantic enough. Sure the guys would love it, but this was about Amy not them. Amy would love Disney. What girl wouldn't want Cinderella's Castle as a back drop for such an event? It was absolutely the perfect place.

He had a few details that only he could iron out without the help of his friends. He had the guys worrying about the travel plans for everyone. Penny and Bernadette were in charge of the dresses. He had told Penny that Amy's favorite color was green so they should wear green dresses. Penny argued and said Amy wanted lavender dresses for Bridesmaids but Sheldon insisted on green. She said she would think about it. He was left with the proposal and the rings. He had the proposal planned out. He knew when he asked Mr. Fowler's permission he was doing the right thing. His mother and Meemaw had taught him that. It might be a bit old fashion for some, but he had to do it. Once he had the permission, he just needed the rings. His Meemaw had insisted that he use her engagement ring. He didn't want to take it from her but she was insistent. She said she would have it sent to the hotel in Philadelphia so he would have it in plenty of time. She knew it would be good luck for him. And even though she had not yet met Amy, she knew she loved her already. If her Moonpie loved her, she was good enough for her.

Mary was so excited. She knew that Sheldon was in love. She could tell from the way he looked at her. She didn't want him to live with her before they got married but if he had done it, she would have dealt with it. He was right, she got over the fact that Missy and George had lived with their significant others. But she always thought Sheldon was different. He always respected her wishes. Maybe it was because he had left at such a young age. He just followed the rules she had set at home and never looked back. He always turned to her for advice. He hadn't been doing that recently though. She chalked it up to Amy. She saw such a difference in her son in the last 4 years. She never thought Sheldon would open himself up so much and she was grateful. How she ever could have thought Amy was some kind of harlot she would never know. She loved her son. And for that Mary would be forever grateful.

So all Sheldon had to worry about were wedding rings. He knew they needed to do more shopping so he spent the next hour finding a place they could go shop that would not seem suspicious to Amy. He knew a mall would be the best place because it would have many stores. They could split up and do the shopping. He found the King of Prussia mall seemed to have a wide variety of jewelry stores and many clothing stores. It also had the added bonus of a Cheesecake Factory. He actually missed that place. He had to determine how far away it was from the hotel they would be staying at though. SEPTA seemed to go everywhere but he wasn't sure how far outside the city it would take them. He was so engrossed in the search he hadn't heard Amy stir until she spoke.

"What are you still doing up?" She asked. "It's after midnight."

"I was doing some research about Philadelphia. I realized we may need to stop and get more clothing, seeing as we are headed to Florida. The average temperature at this time of year is around 90 and there is the added humidity. I was thinking we could find a mall and go shopping when we get there."

"Well I am sure there are plenty of malls in Philadelphia, why research?"

"I was looking for a Cheesecake Factory. I kind of miss that place."

"Did you find one?"

"As a matter of fact I did and it is located in a mall. So we can kill two birds as they say. The only problem is it seems it is quite a distance from our hotel. I am reconsidering renting a car."

"Well why don't we worry about that in the morning."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"Good now come to bed." She said.

Amy woke up first the next morning. She knew Sheldon had been up later than usual so she let him sleep. She decided to check her email. She logged into his computer and looked through the various emails. She had a few from colleagues asking her some questions about the research they had just completed. She sent back her replies with the answers they needed. She had an email from President Seibert with confirmation of her vacation which was to end June 27. She was expected back June 30 and her next study would begin July 7. There was an email from her dad asking how her trip was going. He also asked when they would be returning as her mother wanted to plan and dinner party. She sent her reply saying they would be home somewhere around June 15 and let him know she still had two weeks after for vacation so anytime was good. Sheldon was off until at least August 1 so he would have no prior commitment either.

The last email was from Bernadette. She inquired about the trip and asked how they were doing. She also had a strange request for her dress size. Amy found that odd, but Bernadette explained that she and Penny were out dress shopping and wanted to be sure the dresses they had found would come in her size. Amy didn't have an abnormal size and most dresses would come in it but she didn't question her friend. Maybe they were just thinking about having the dresses custom made and she needed measurements. So Amy let Bernadette know she was welcome to use the dress she had worn at their wedding as a guide. She knew it still fit.

Sheldon woke up and saw Amy was on the computer. He momentarily panicked and then remembered he had cleared the history. He knew Amy was sharing the computer with him and he did not want her to see the jewelry stores he was searching. He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning beautiful." Amy would never tire hearing that from him. "What are you looking at?" He asked her.

"Well I wanted to check out the mall you were searching last night but it seems you have cleared the history, so I was checking my email."

"Oh well I do that from time to time. Just so no one can see my browsing history."

"Why what are you looking up?" Amy asked him, suspiciously.

"Well when I was doing the research for you know, I didn't need anyone seeing that, so I got in the habit of clearing my searches. You know how Leonard can be."

"I guess that makes sense."

He breathed a sigh of relief that she actually had bought that. Well it did make sense and he had cleared the history when he did do that search but it never became a habit.

"So what is this mall where we are going shopping?"

"It is called the King of Prussia mall. It is very large. I think we will find everything we need there and not have to go shopping at all in Florida, well except maybe for souvenirs."

"Sounds good."

"So did you receive anything good in your emails?" He was trying to change the subject.

"A few from some colleagues asking last minute questions about the project, one from Seibert confirming my vacation time, one from my dad asking when we were coming home because mom wants to have a dinner party and then a very strange one from Bernadette."

"What do you mean strange?"

"Well it started out normal, asking about our trip and how we were doing but then she asked my dress size."

"Why would she do that?" Sheldon was nervous because for some reason he just assumed they would be able to get a dress. He hadn't thought about her size.

"She said something about them looking at Bridesmaid dresses and being sure it came in my size."

"Oh I guess that makes sense." He thought that was a good ploy for the girls to use.

"But see it doesn't because I am an average size. I don't need an extra small gown or extra large gown. I am a normal height and weight so there really should be no reason a gown wouldn't come in my size."

"Oh well…"

"I thought maybe Penny had decided to have a custom gown made so I told Bernadette she could use the gown from her wedding as a guide. I had that fitted and it was perfect on me. I know it still fits."

"I liked the way you looked in that dress." He said to her.

"Thank you. I didn't like the color though, but it was Bernadette's wedding. I know if I ever get married, the girls will wear lavender." She purposely said if, so Sheldon wouldn't run away.

"I thought your favorite color was green? Why lavender dresses?"

"Green is my favorite color but I've always dreamed of having lavender dresses for my wedding. I can't see the color green I like as a dress."

"Well whatever you end up picking for your girls I am sure you will outshine them all." He knew he would have to give Penny a call and let her know he was wrong about the color they should wear.

"Was that a compliment? I think that is a first."

"Was it? I guess I have to change that about me. Have I told you how beautiful you are?

"You can tell me that as many times as you want. I will never tire hearing that from you."

"Well you are and I love you. I'm sure you will look perfect in a wedding dress." He had to steer this conversation away from weddings.

"I love you too."

"Shall we go to breakfast?"

"More like lunch." She laughed.

He looked at the time. "Oh I guess you are right. So shall we go?"

"Yes and then let's finish season 1 of _Buffy_ before we get to Chicago. How long is our layover?"

"Just under 3 hours. We should arrive just before 3pm and the train to Philadelphia leaves at 5:45."

"What time will we arrive in Philadelphia tomorrow?"

"Just before 8:30 in the evening. Then we will take a train to our hotel. They run every hour towards the airport. Our stop is the one right before the airport. I researched that all last night."

"Good now let's get lunch."

They had an enjoyable lunch then headed back to their room. They decided against watching _Buffy_ since it was so nice out and they could look out the window and enjoy the scenery of the country.

The train in Chicago arrived about 20 minutes late but it didn't matter as they had a few hours to spare. The boarded the train to Philadelphia around 5:30 and were on their way just before 6.

The trip to Philadelphia was fun. They watched the final few episodes of _Buffy_ season 1 and continued to view the scenery. The arrived just after 8:15 and had 15 minutes until the train to the hotel.

They checked into the hotel and turned in for the night. The plan was to go to the Constitution Center, Liberty Bell and Independence Hall the next day. They would then drive to the King of Prussia mall and have dinner then go shopping. Sheldon was beginning to get nervous. He knew it was going to be a long week and a half.

**Okay for those of you thinking I am doing all this research into Philadelphia, I am not. I am from the area so I know a little bit about it. King of Prussia mall is a big mall and there is a Cheesecake Factory there. SEPTA is the public transportation system. It would get them to the mall but we know how Sheldon is about buses. Any finally the trains to the airport do run on the hour. King of Prussia mall is about 30 miles from the Philadelphia airport so renting a car is the smart thing to do.**

**Okay that is my notes...reviews are always welcome. I will try and post the next chapter early next week if not sooner.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Once again I find myself apologizing for the delay. I had a bit of writers block as to how I wanted to continue this story. Anyway, now that is over and I am in the process of completing the next two chapters. **

**Thanks so much for the reviews, I can't believe I am over 100. It warms my heart. So on with the story...they will be in Philadelphia for the next few chapters. Then onto Florida. Oh and this chapter is M rated. You have been warned.**

**I don't own any of it.**

Monday morning came and they got up and ready to go. They knew they had planned a lot for one day but they didn't think the sites would be too busy considering school had not let out for the summer yet. It seemed that kids went to school later in this area.

They started the day at the Constitution Center. They watched a documentary about America's quest for freedom. They toured the We the People exhibit and ended the tour in Signers' Hall. Life size bronze statues of the Founding Fathers greeted them in there. After they toured the museum they made their way down the road to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It was quite an enjoyable day.

That morning they had rented a car and would be using it that evening to go to the mall. They also decided to use it to go to the zoo later in the week. They had found that while it was accessible through the trains it would take a bit of planning to make all the necessary transfers. It was an easy drive from the hotel though. According to Sheldon's GPS they mall was about 26 miles from the hotel. There were plenty of other malls where they could have gone but he had only found 2 with Cheesecake Factories and this one was the closest.

They left the hotel around 5. Sheldon decided to eat first and shop second. He wanted to make sure they had plenty of time to shop. He didn't want her to see what he had planned on purchasing. The drive took longer than he expected as there was a traffic accident along the highway. They arrived at the restaurant at 6:15. Sheldon once again received his burger exactly the way he ordered. This time however Amy's order was also correct.

"Do you think Penny messed up my burger on purpose?" Sheldon asked her as they ate.

"You think? You always insulted her. You are lucky she really didn't spit in your burger. Although she may have this one time."

"She wouldn't do that, would she? I always assumed when she said that she wasn't serious. Please tell me I was correct."

"I'm sure she didn't. So where do you want to go shopping after we are finished?"

"It's a big mall, where would you like to go?"

"Well I was thinking, maybe we could split up. There are some things I need to pick up that you don't necessarily have to be with me to get."

"Like what?" He was curious

"If I tell you then it would ruin the surprise."

"Amy, you know I don't like surprises."

"Oh I promise you that you will like this one."

"Okay well I will trust you. So why don't we split up and meet in front of Macy's at 9:00." He looked at his watch. "It is 7:15 now."

"That sounds like a plan."

The two made their way into the mall. They looked around. This mall was much larger than the one they were used to at home. They separated and began their shopping.

Sheldon decided he could get his clothes faster than his other purchase so he did that first. He always bought the same things. But he did know he should probably get some shorts as it would be extremely hot in Florida. It wasn't like he wasn't used to heat, but it had been a long time since he had been in a Texas summer. Florida was much the same if he recalled from his trip years ago. After he finished picking out his clothes he made his way to the jewelry store he decided to use.

Meemaw's ring arrived earlier in the day. Amy happened to be in the shower when the call came from the front desk. For that Sheldon was grateful. He was unsure how he would have been able to hide it from her if she had heard he had a package. He ran down and picked it up. Luckily it was a small enough package to keep hidden for a few more days. When he arrived back in the room, Amy was emerging from the bathroom.

"Where were you?" She asked him.

Luckily he had though fast on his feet and had stopped at the vending machines to pick up a couple of sodas.

"I was thirsty and went to get us some sodas." He answered her.

"Oh, I thought I heard the phone ring when I was in the shower."

"It did but the person on the other end had called the wrong room."

"Oh okay."

Now as he entered the jewelry store, he took the ring out of his pocket. He wanted to try and match the bands with the ring.

"Good evening sir. How can I help you?" A friendly sales lady greeted him.

"I would like to purchase some wedding bands."

"Oh well congratulations, where is your fiancé?" She said to him.

"Well the wedding is kind of a surprise for her. She doesn't even know we are engaged yet. I am asking her next week."

"Wow that is so romantic. When is the big day for the wedding?"

"Next Friday, June 13."

"Well if we place an order today, I can have the rings to you by next Monday."

"Next Monday we will be in Orlando. Is there a way to order them here and have them shipped to a different store of yours?" Sheldon had researched this very thing the night before. He had known he would be lucky to actually get rings at the store. He had found a chain that happened to have a store in Pasadena.

"If the store has the same stock as us we can do it."

"Well if I give you the branch can we find out what they have in stock and compare it to yours?"

"Absolutely, what store did you have in mind? We have one in Orlando."

"No I can't do that if I want to keep this a secret. I would need her to drive me there and it would ruin the surprise. I was thinking your Pasadena store."

"Well sir, how are you going to pick it up?"

"I will have the best man and maid of honor do it. I am from there. They are all coming to Orlando for the wedding."

"Just be sure he has ID ready to show the associates there."

"He is aware he may have to pick it up so he will have his ID ready."

"Okay let me call the store in Pasadena and see what they say. I am pretty sure we can accommodate you on this request."

"Thank you very much."

"You are most welcome, Mr….?"

"It's Dr. Cooper, Sheldon Cooper."

"Oh well it is nice to meet you Dr. Cooper, my name is Susan."

She quickly made her phone call and found out that they had several different sets of wedding bands that they both had in common. The store in Pasadena could actually have them finished by Saturday. She brought out the sets that matched Sheldon's list of requirements. It turned out there were 5 sets meeting his specifications.

Sheldon looked at his watch and realized he would probably be late for meeting Amy. He was about to text her when she let him know she was running late as well.

As they were looking at rings, Susan became curious as to why he wanted to surprise his girlfriend with a wedding.

"Well we are on a journey of self discovery, well I am anyway. She knows exactly what she wants. We had a big fight about living together before we left and since coming on this trip almost 3 weeks ago now, I know I can't live without her. Our mothers' are concerned we aren't married and my mom is a bit of a religious fanatic and would prefer me to be married before cohabitating with Amy. So I came to the conclusion that I want to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her."

"That is so sweet. So you aren't afraid she will turn you down?"

"Not at all, I know she loves me and wants a life with me. We have discussed marriage before, just never really seriously."

"How long have you been with her."

"Almost 4 years."

"Wow, 4 years and you aren't married yet? That is impressive. I guess when you are with someone that long, you know each other pretty well."

"Amy and I know each other extremely well. She knows my quirks and I hers. We will be terrific partners. And our babies will be smart and beautiful, if they look like her."

"Well now, that is probably the most romantic thing I have ever heard, now let's get you some wedding bands."

In another part of the mall, Amy picked out some cooler clothing. She decided since she was on vacation, she would find a different style. Not too different, but maybe a bit less conservative. She knew her normal style of blouses and cardigans would never do in Orlando, they barely worked in California. She figured they were going to a couple of different amusement parks and decided skirts were not very practical. She found the most conservative pairs of shorts she could and picked up a few pairs of capris. She opted for some short sleeve t-shirts as well. This was definitely not her normal style. She never showed this much skin, but she knew it would be hot and humid in Florida.

She also knew she needed new undergarments. She never really thought about what she wore underneath her clothes before now. She did have one set from Victoria Secret but she hardly ever wore them. She certainly didn't have them on the night Sheldon called her to meet at the train station. So she decided a few new sets would be appropriate now that she and Sheldon were intimate.

She left the department store and headed to Victoria Secret. On her way there she passed a novelty store. Inside she saw a _Flash_ t-shirt that reminded her of the ones Sheldon always wore. She made a choice to go inside and look around. It was quite the store. It had pretty much everything in the way of novelties. She then found the section she was looking for, the superheroes. They had many of the same t-shirts Sheldon wore and she wondered if he had found this store yet. She was going to text him and let him know it was here but decided instead to buy a few shirts for him. If he had found it, he may end up with a couple of duplicates. She was sure he wouldn't care. As she was headed to the register she saw a small women's section with superhero shirts as well. She took a quick look around and found something that caught her eye. She saw a _Flash_ nightgown that happened to be on clearance. She had to buy it. She thought maybe it may turn Sheldon on more than any undergarments she purchased at Victoria Secret.

She finished her purchases and then checked the time. She still had to make her last stop and realized it was 8:30. There was no way she was going to make it back by 9:00. She sent a quick text to Sheldon and told him she was running late. He texted back saying he was also running late and was just about to let her know. She walked quickly through the mall and found her destination. She went inside and found a few different sets she liked. She thought Sheldon would like them as well.

Susan had brought over 5 sets of rings that met the criteria set by Sheldon. He didn't want anything flashy. He wanted gold as it would match the engagement ring. The third set was perfect. It had both yellow and white gold and complimented the diamond ring well. The engagement ring was about half a carat and was in the shape of a teardrop. They bands would compliment it nicely. He decided to have the date of the wedding and their initials inscribed on the inside. He wasn't into the hippy dippy things others put inside their rings. The date and initials seemed practical. He gave Susan all his and Leonard's information and paid for his purchase.

"Thank you, Dr. Cooper and good luck." She said to him as he left.

He placed his receipts in his wallet and said his goodbyes. He looked at his watch. It was 9:10. He made his way quickly back to Macy's

Amy was already waiting for him when he arrived. She greeted him with a kiss.

"Did you get everything you need?" He asked her.

"Oh yes, and a few extra things. How about you? I don't see many bags."

"I found everything I needed. Shall we head back to the hotel?"  
"Absolutely."

They made their way back to the car and drove the 26 miles to the hotel. It didn't take nearly as long as there was hardly any traffic. They were grateful for that since they had such a long day.

"I think I will get ready for bed." Amy said to him.

"Okay, I am hungry. Would you like a snack?"

"Actually I could go for something sweet."

"Well while you are getting ready, I will go and get us something from the vending machines."

"Okay, but don't take too long, I want to show you one of my new items."

"Well color me intrigued." He made his way out of the room.

He made a quick call to Leonard and gave him the details for picking up the rings. He was met with excitement from Penny. He told them to be sure to have ID and he would let them know if they arrived early. He found the vending machine and got two candy bars for him and Amy. He also got a couple of sodas.

He entered the bedroom and heard Amy finishing in the bathroom. When she came out, he nearly dropped the sodas. She was wearing the _Flash_ nightgown she had bought. It was shorter than any other nightgowns she had ever worn in front of him.

"Wow." Sheldon finally found his voice.

"Do you like it?"

"That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen."

He put the snacks and drinks down and pulled her towards him. He kissed her with such passion. She opened her mouth and his tongue quickly entered to deepen the kiss. He moved them both to the bed.

Amy began to remove his shirts while his hands roamed up and down her body. They broke the kiss only so his shirts could go over his head.

"I really do love this nightgown but all I want now is to take it off of you." As he pulled it up over her head.

"Hoo." Was her response

He slowly began kissing her neck while his hands found her breasts. She moaned and arched into him as she felt him caressing her hardening nipples. She moved her hands down to unfasten his belt and pants. He slid them off along with his underwear and discarded them on the floor.

His hand continued its descent down to her core. He began slowly rubbing her mound while she grabbed his length and began sliding her hand up and down. They were soon lost in the passion of it all.

"Please, Sheldon." She said to him.

He hovered over her and then slipped himself inside. He moved in and out at a brisk pace and they soon found their release together.

Sheldon rolled to her side and held her. They were asleep within 10 minutes.

**So I remember buying our wedding bands and having to wait a week or so for them to come in. I felt this had to be part of the story. I don't know if a jewelry store would be willing to work with a customer they way this one did with Sheldon but I guess if you are making money you are willing to do anything. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews, both good and bad. Like I said I can take it. Sorry if the love scene in the last chapter wasn't up to par. I am not very good at writing that sort of stuff. Anyway...on with the story. No M rating this time but there is implied stuff. That is all the warning you will get.  
**

**I don't own any of it.**

The week in Philadelphia went almost as quickly as Mt. Rushmore. On Tuesday, they went to the Franklin Institute. Amy loved all of it. It wasn't all about science although walking through the heart was fun. Wednesday, they decided to have a lazy day and stayed at the hotel. They relaxed in their room and by the pool. Amy couldn't get Sheldon in the water but just getting him to sit by the pool was progress.

Thursday, they decided to check out the Mutter Museum. Amy was fascinated by all the medical abnormalities. Sheldon, however, almost lost his breakfast when he saw the deformed penis. They both were in awe of all the objects that people had apparently choked on. It was utterly amazing.

While they were at the museum, Sheldon received a phone call. He didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway because he had so many things he had planned. He excused himself from Amy and walked to the front of the museum.

"Hello"

"Hi, yes I am calling for a Sheldon Cooper." The woman on the other end answered.

"You have reached him. With whom am I speaking?"

"My name is Janine and I am calling from Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World."

"What can I do for you?"

"From our records, I see you have made a reservation for the Glass Slipper Table next Wednesday, June 11."

"Yes, plus a table for 10 nearby for the rest of my party."

"I see that as well, however, we have come across a problem. It seems we booked another couple for that table at the same time."

"How is that possible? When I called the woman told me the table hadn't been booked. I was overjoyed because I called at such a late date."

"Well that was the problem. She was correct, but it turned out our computer system had had some issues and the reservations somehow got erased. This morning they reappeared. It seems the couple that reserved that table did it 3 months ago. We will have to accept their reservations first. I apologize for the inconvenience. We would like to know if you could take the table on Friday June 13 instead."

"Well, as I had planned on proposing to my girlfriend on Wednesday and have booked a pavilion for Friday for the wedding that will not be possible, unless of course you have lost that reservation as well."

"No sir, I see that we have that reservation and it is still good. Would you like me to put your entire party at one table instead? That would not be a problem."

"I guess that would be acceptable. I will have to find an alternate plan for my proposal."

"So you were going to propose on Wednesday and marry her on Friday. Do you think she will be okay with this arrangement?"

"Well I hope so but it is a surprise."

"What's a surprise?" Amy had walked up behind him.

"Oh, um, listen, I have to go, you can go with what we just talked about. That will be fine." He quickly hung up the phone and turned to face Amy.

"Who were you talking to?" She asked him suspiciously.

"Um…." He wasn't sure how to get out of this one. She had clearly heard the last part of the conversation. He hoped she didn't hear the part about the proposal before that.

"Sheldon, you clearly said surprise. So what's the surprise?"

"Now if I told you, it would be ruined, now wouldn't it?"

"Come on please."

"No, now again, it would ruin the surprise."

"I have my ways you know." She said seductively.

"I will not fall prey to your wiles, woman."

"We'll see."

Sheldon just smiled at her. Inside he was relieved. She may try to persuade him a bit more later, but he felt he could handle it. The last time she tried seducing him for information she forgot to get the answers she sought. So he would win either way. His biggest problem was when he was going to propose now. He could use Universal Studios as a backdrop. He wasn't sure that was romantic enough though. Maybe he would find inspiration sooner. He had kept the ring with him to make sure Amy didn't find it accidently. He couldn't risk that.

Sheldon knew had to call his friends and let them know of the change. He was not sure how he could find time alone again for a bit. She was suspicious enough as it was. If he left and said he had to make a phone call, she would most likely follow him. Maybe he would be able to persuade her to go to the pool or have her pick up dinner somewhere later.

The left the museum about an hour later after going back inside so Amy could finish seeing the exhibit. It was still early when they got back to the hotel. Amy was tired. All she wanted to do was relax with a good book. The weather was beautiful and she decided to go and sit down by the pool to read.

"Do you want to come with me?" She asked him. She realized it was probably unlikely he would join her as she practically begged him the day before.

"No, I think I will stay here and watch a movie. I'm not up to sitting in the sun again. Make sure you put on sun block."

"Don't worry I will." She gave him a kiss and left for the pool.

Sheldon couldn't believe his luck. Amy had decided to go down to the pool on her own. He didn't have to trick her after all. He looked at his watch. It was 4:15 which meant it was 1:15 in Pasadena. He wasn't sure if calling Leonard was a good idea as he was at work. Penny was his only option. Unfortunately, her phone went right to voicemail. He had no choice, he called Leonard.

"Hey Sheldon, you've got good timing. We all just sat down to eat lunch."

"Good. I called for a reason. Put me on speaker. I need everyone's help in this. The plans I had for Wednesday have changed."

"What do you mean changed?" Howard asked. "Did Amy finally come to her senses and dump your ass?"

"Howard!" Raj yelled at him.

"No, it's nothing like that. Apparently the restaurant overbooked our table and the other couple reserved first. We will all be dining together. This means my surprise of you all coming will be ruined. I think she may notice a table of 12. I don't want her to figure out why you all came before I get the chance to propose."

"Hey buddy, I am sorry about that. Do you have a backup plan for a proposal?"

"I don't. I have carried the ring everywhere with me so she doesn't find it. I was thinking if the mood strikes I will ask her."

"That's not very romantic." Raj interjected.

"Yes well my romantic idea failed."

"What about at Universal Studios?" Howard suggested. "She likes Harry Potter too, right?"

"Yes, I thought about that, but I am still not sure."

"Have you guys gone to the zoo you told us about yet?" Raj asked him

"No we are going tomorrow."

"Well why not there? You guys have this thing about zoos. It seems like the perfect place to ask her."

"Wow Raj, that is brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because romance is new to you."

"I suppose you are correct. Thank you for your help. That is really the only reason I called you guys. Leonard you are still set for getting the rings."

"Yes, Sheldon, we have been through this already. I won't forget."

"Good, and don't let Penny forget the tiara. She will need that for the wedding."

"I won't."

"Okay good. Now expect a call from us tomorrow night if all goes well."

"Go get her Sheldon." Howard said.

"I am not sure where I am to go and get her from but alright."

"Talk to you later, Sheldon." Leonard said.

"Goodbye." He said and he hung up. He felt much better now that he had a plan.

He decided to pull his computer out and watch Star Trek since Amy wasn't around. He settled in on the bed and relaxed. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was being woken up with a kiss.

"Hey sleepy head, did you have a good nap?"

"I guess I was more tired than I thought."  
"Apparently, I called you three times before having to kiss you to wake you

up."

"I could wake up like that all the time." He pulled her in for another kiss.

They spend the 15 minutes having an intense make out session.

"We should stop." Amy said out of breath. "We need to get something to eat."

"Do we have to?" He said as he kissed her neck.

"Yes, now stop that." He said swatting his hand away from her breast.

"Are you sure?" He was being persistent.

"Well, maybe for a little while longer." She gave into him.

Thirty minutes later, they were in the shower after satisfying each other's needs. They decided to stay in, order a pizza and watch TV.

"So the zoo opens at 10 tomorrow. Apparently we are allowed to bring in lunch instead of paying the exorbitant prices they charge in their restaurants. We could pack a picnic lunch instead. Oh and they have reciprocal ticket prices with our zoo. We get in for half price with our pass."

"That's great. Why don't we shoot for a 9:00 departure? That highway may be busy again."

"That sounds great. Well I am going to get ready for bed." He said to her

"Okay, I will go after you."

After they both got ready, they settled in for the night. Sheldon was beginning to get nervous about the next day. He hoped everything would go as planned.

**There really is a deformed penis at the Mutter Museum, I have seen it.**

**Reviews are welcome. The next chapter is in the works. Proposal time! I know a lot of you are excited it about it and I hope I do it justice. Let me know what you think of my idea to move it up a bit.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I so did not want to get this chapter wrong so I took my time with it. You all know what is coming and I hope I do it justice for you. **

**I don't own it...**

Sheldon did not get much sleep the night before. He was nervous. He slipped out of bed at about 6am. He decided he would get ready and let Amy sleep. At 7, he left a note for her and made his way down to breakfast. He wanted to talk to someone, but it was impossible to call California as it was only 4 in the morning there. He knew his mom was an early riser like he was. He decided to take a chance she would be awake and called her. She answered on the third ring.

"Sheldon? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I just needed to call and talk to someone."

"What time is it?"

"It is about 6:15 your time. It is 7:15 in Philadelphia where we are at the moment."

"Why didn't you call us when you got to Philadelphia? Last I heard you were still in Mt. Rushmore."

"Well things have been very busy. We have done so many different things."

"Well we are going to see you in less than a week in Disney. Meemaw is really looking forward to it. Now, what is so important that you had to call so early in the morning?"

"I can't wait to see you guys too."

"So now what is the problem? Did you and Amy have a fight? Have you changed your mind about marrying her?"

"No mom, it's nothing like that. It's just I'm going to propose today and I am a bit nervous."

"I thought you were going to propose next week when we all arrived at Disney. What happened?"

"Apparently the restaurant overbooked our table. We will all be dining together now. I wanted you being there as a surprise. If she sees you before I propose she may get suspicious. She may be already as it is. Raj suggested I do it today while we are at the zoo. The zoo is kind of our place."

"Well Shelly that sounds so romantic. So why are you nervous?"

"I'm not sure how to go about it."

While Mary was talking to him, she made her way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Meemaw came in during the conversation.

"Who are you talking to so early in the morning?" She asked Mary.

"Sheldon called me. He is nervous about proposing to Amy."

"Mom, are you listening to me?"

"Oh sorry, Shelly, Meemaw just came into the kitchen."

"What is Meemaw doing at your house? Is she okay?"

"Of course she is okay. She came for dinner last night and then we played cards. By the time we were finished it was late so she spent the night. I am trying to talk her into moving in full time. She spends many nights here as it is. So she is absolutely fine. Would you like to speak with her?"

"Yes please."

Mary handed the phone to Meemaw.

"Good morning, moon pie. Where are you and your lady friend right now?"

"Hi Meemaw. Amy and I are in Philadelphia. She is still sleeping. I came down to breakfast so as not to disturb her."

"Well that is very kind of you. Now your mother tells me you are nervous about proposing. Are you afraid she will say no?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I thought I would have more time to prepare myself, but a crashed computer has pushed up the timeline. I will be proposing today while we are at the zoo."

"Oh that's wonderful. I thought you were doing it too close to the actual wedding. This will give her some time to prepare as well."

"What do you mean? I have everything taken care of with regards to the wedding. Penny and Bernadette are getting the dresses. Leonard is picking up the rings this weekend. And the most important part is you will all be there for the wedding."

"Yes but when she says yes and you tell her you have planned a wedding, how do you think she will react?"

"I think she will have a positive reaction."

"I think you are right if she is the girl you have told me about, however, every girl has a fantasy about her wedding and I am sure Amy is no different. You proposing today and telling her I hope after, will give her some time to get used to the idea. She may want to look for her own dress as well."

"Do you think that may happen?"

"I don't know her like you do, moon pie. But I am sure you have thought about what she likes and not just what you want."

"I have otherwise we would get married at Universal Studios with the superheroes."

Meemaw laughed. "Yes that sounds like something you would want."

"Amy loves the romance in the Disney movies. I know she owns all the fairy tales. And a couple of years ago she dressed up as Snow White when her and the girls went to Disneyland. I know Cinderella's Castle as a backdrop will be the perfect setting."

"So now what seems to be the problem? You have everything worked out. Do you have any idea where in the zoo you will propose?"

"I had an idea that I would ask when we are near the monkeys. Amy is a sucker for the monkeys."

"So why are you nervous? You have a plan and a good one at that."

"I guess I am unsure of what to say."

"Oh, moon pie, say what's in your heart. Whatever you say to her will be perfect if it is from the heart."

"I sure hope so."

"Well I know so, don't you worry. Everything will work out just fine. Now I am going to give you back to your mother. You call us tonight and tell us how it went."

"I will. Thanks, Meemaw."

"You're welcome, moon pie. I can't wait to see you next week." She handed the phone back to Mary.

"So Shelly, do you feel better now?"

"Yes mom, thank you."

"You call us later, ya hear?"

"Yes ma'am." And he heard her hang up the phone.

Sheldon was feeling a bit better after talking to his mom and meemaw. He got breakfast for them and took it back up to the room. Amy was just waking up when he came inside.

"You're up early." She said to him.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep so I got up and got ready. I went down and got us breakfast. I am not sure what you put in your coffee so I brought up cream and sugars. I also got you a waffle and some bacon since that seems to be all you have eaten this week."

"That's so sweet. Thank you. Now why couldn't you sleep?"

"I was just thinking about some things."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"Not now, maybe later though."

"You know you can talk to me about anything right? So I am here when you need me."

"I know and I want to talk to you about this but not now. I just want to go to the zoo. We can talk later. I promise."

"Okay."

"While I was downstairs, I asked at the front desk for a recommendation as to where to get sandwiches. The guy told me there is a Wawa up the street that sells them made to order. He says they have something called 'Hoagie Fest' and they have a special hoagie each week that is featured. That sounds like the place to go."

"Then let me go and get ready and then we can be on the road. We will stop and get sandwiches on our way. I shouldn't be more than 20 minutes." She made her way into the bathroom to get ready.

While she was in the shower, Sheldon made sure he had the ring ready. He had been carrying it in his wallet much like Leonard had with Penny's. He was doing it for a different reason though. He didn't want her to find it in the room. He took it out and put it back in the box. He wanted to make sure everything was done exactly right.

Amy was ready to leave 20 minutes later. They stopped at Wawa and picked up sandwiches, chips and drinks for lunch. They were on their way to the zoo by 9:15. Traffic was lighter than it had been the night they went to the mall so they made it to the zoo relatively quickly. They arrived before 10am. Sheldon showed his pass for the Los Angeles Zoo and received their tickets for half price. It was nice that the zoos did that with each other. They picked up a map and made their way inside.

"Where would you like to start?" He asked her.

"Why don't we just start here at the beginning and make our way to the back of the zoo. They have a balloon that flies up and we can look around the whole place."

"Yes but it says that it is not operational since they had so many storms in the winter."

"Oh that is a shame. I think that would have been fun to do."

"It was never operational anyway." A woman with her two kids said to them. "It hardly ever went up anyway. Something about it needing to be hot and humid with no winds at all to be able to launch."

"Oh thank you." Amy said to her. "So Sheldon, where are the monkeys."

"It looks like there are some smaller ones right up front here and larger ones in the middle of the zoo. Shall we get started?"

"Absolutely."

He took her hand and they began walking around. They saw the small primates and then the reptiles. They got quite a show at the Galapagos turtles. It seemed two of them were in a mating mood. They had the woman that had told them about the balloon take their picture in front of the large elephant statue.

"There used to be elephants here but they sold them to the Pittsburgh zoo. There wasn't enough space to keep them here." She told them.

"We have Asian elephants at our home zoo and koalas." Sheldon told her.

"Are you from San Diego? I was at that zoo when I was 15. I loved the koalas."

"No we are from Pasadena. We go to the Los Angeles Zoo, although we have been to the San Diego Zoo." Amy answered her.

"What brings you to Philadelphia?" The woman asked.

"Just a vacation. We have traveled across the country by train. We decided to come here because my girlfriend has never really traveled anywhere along the east coast, except for Boston where she went to school."

"By train, wow my husband would love to do that. He hates flying. Well welcome to Philadelphia. I hope you enjoy your stay. I actually don't live here either, but I grew up about 30 miles from here. Now I live in Lancaster which is about 70 miles west. My kids and I love to come to the zoo here." She saw that Sheldon was looking a bit annoyed. "I'm sorry, I am interrupting your day and I see my son is getting anxious to go to the reptile house. Well enjoy your stay. If you have time while you are here, I highly recommend a trip to Amish country in Lancaster. If you like beautiful sights, it is the place to go. Sorry to have taken up your time."

"Yes thank you." Amy said politely. Sheldon just rolled his eyes. Amy saw him and laughed. "Be nice, she was being polite. This is supposed to be the City of Brotherly Love after all."

"Yes well I hope they all aren't like that."

They went to the Big Cats display and were disappointed because many of them were sleeping or unable to be seen because they were resting in the shade. They decided they would stop back later and see if they were awake. They made their way to some tables so they could have their lunch. While they were eating, Amy looked at the map.

"It looks like the large primates are just over there." She said and indicated a building behind them. "Can we go there next?"

"Anywhere you want, my dear."

"My dear?"

"Well you have always wanted me to give you a pet name." He said to her. "I'm trying something out."

"Well okay then."

"Let's just hope when we get to the larger primates they are awake."

"Yeah those big cats were a disappointment. But we can always go back later. How about those turtles? They were quite randy don't you think?"

"We've never seen anything like that at home." He answered her. "The noises coming from them was quite funny I must admit."

"It was quite a show."

"Indeed it was. Are you about ready, my dear?" He was trying to remain calm because he knew he wanted to propose at this location but he wasn't sure he would make it.

"Sure, let's go."

He took her hand again, but he was really nervous. His hands were shaking slightly. Unfortunately for him this did not go unnoticed by Amy.

"Is everything okay? You seem nervous about something." She asked him

"What would I have to be nervous about?"

"I can't imagine, but your hands are sweating and shaking."

"Well I…" At this point he was beginning to stutter.

"Sheldon, what's wrong? You're scaring me." She was worried. She had no idea what could possibly be wrong with him. He had seemed so calm just before they left from lunch. Maybe there was something wrong with his sandwich. They had stopped walking and they were right outside the building which held the monkeys Amy had been waiting all day to see.

Sheldon took a deep breath. He heard his meemaw's word in his head _Say what's in your heart._

"Sheldon?" She looked very concerned. "Did you eat something bad? You look a bit green."

_Okay here goes nothing._ He thought to himself.

"Amy, sit down here for a minute." He indicated a bench right outside the building.

"Don't you want to go inside?" She knew there was something wrong but she wasn't sure what it was.

"We will, I just need to talk to you about something first."

"Is this about what you were thinking about this morning? Listen, whatever it is, it can wait. I don't need to know now. I don't want you to feel pushed to tell me."

"It is about that and much more."

"Are you sure it can't wait until we are back at the hotel room?"

"No, I need to do this now." He took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you about the journey we are on right now."

"Okay."

"I started on this journey to 'find myself', as some would say, with you for a few reasons. I needed to decided on my career. I am almost at a conclusion for that. I had to think about whether I could deal without the comic book store. I guess I can live with the big store across town if Stuart never reopens." Amy laughed at this but he continued. "And most importantly, I had to figure out the ramifications of Leonard moving out of the apartment. He has been my roommate for 10 years. It took a long time for me to get used to him. And there are still some things I will never understand. I have been thinking long and hard about what my living situation will be when we get back. You know I brought you along as a test to see what living with you would be like."

"Is this really the time for this discussion?"

"I believe it is as I have made a decision. I wanted to tell you at a place that was special to us both."

"So you picked the zoo."

"Yes, but if you also notice I chose a place that you also enjoy very much."

"The primate house."

"Of course, this is your favorite place when we go to the zoo at home. I thought what better place than this to tell you I have made up my mind. So now if you will promise not to interrupt me, I will finish what I was about to say and we can go inside and see those fun monkeys you love so much."

"Okay I promise." She told him.

"These last few weeks with you have been the best ever. Living with you is so much easier than living with Leonard. You anticipate my every move. You know when I need space and I know when you do as well. You understand my routines. It has been almost perfect. I have decided that I want to live with you when we get back to Pasadena."

"You do, oh Sheldon."

"Now I am not finished."

"Sorry."

"I also have been thinking long and hard about how are mothers will feel about this news. Actually I was thinking more of my mother than yours."

"Sheldon, do we really have to worry about that now?"

"What did I say about interrupting?"

"Sorry, go on." She wasn't sure why this was so important to discuss now but she would let him have his say.

"Thank you. Now as I was saying our mothers have given us the privacy we have asked, but I know my mom. She will not be happy with me if I live with you prior to marriage. Now I know what you are thinking, we are grown adults and we can make this decision ourselves. But as much as I hate to admit this, I agree with her. I don't know, call me old fashion, or maybe I really do want to do what is right in her eyes. Or worse yet, maybe the religion actually rubbed off on me a bit."

"What are you saying Sheldon?" She interrupted him again.

This time he didn't say anything but answered by getting down on one knee and pulling the ring out of his pocket. They had drawn a bit of a crowd around them.

"I'm saying, I love you and I can't think about spending another day without you in my life. Amy, will you marry me?"

Amy was shocked. She hadn't expected him to propose. Tears started forming in her eyes. She couldn't get the words out so she just nodded her head.

"Is that a yes?" He was unsure.

"Yes, yes, yes. I will marry you. She answered. The crowd around them applauded.

He didn't care that they were in public, he pulled her up and kissed her.

**Okay reviews are welcome. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The journey is not over. We still have the wedding. I am having some issues thinking of the perfect way of having it. But I have some other chapters to go in the meantime. I hope you liked the interaction with a local. I kind of wanted to put myself in the story since they were in my hometown. **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I am so glad for the reviews you have left me about the proposal. There will be a few more chapters before the actual wedding. Like I said, I am having some issues with how to go about it. But also I need to have an after the proposal time. So on with the story. The group will make an appearance in this chapter.**

**I wish I owned it but sadly I don't.**

The rest of the day at the zoo was a blur to Amy. She was on cloud nine. Sheldon had proposed. She had had a plan that would eventually end in marriage but she hadn't expected it yet.

They left the zoo just before dinner and decided to find somewhere to eat. It was at dinner that Sheldon was going to tell her the rest of the wedding details. When they found a restaurant and were settled at a table, Amy spoke first.

"We have to call everybody tonight. I can't wait to tell them. Oh and then my mom and dad and then your mom."

"Relax Amy. They know."

"What do you mean they know?" She asked.

"I've got something to tell you but you have to promise me that you will not get mad or upset."

"I don't think you could tell me anything right now to upset me. Now you said they know. Who exactly knows and what do they know?"

"Everyone knows. I have been planning this since we went to Mt. Rushmore. I needed help."

"Well that explains the mysterious phone calls and all the secrets."

"Believe me it wasn't easy. It started with Leonard and Penny, then my mom and meemaw. That was her ring by the way."

"Really?" She looked at it again. "When did you get this?"

"It came Monday when you were in the shower getting ready for dinner. They called the room and I went and got it."

"That explains why you brought sodas up that day. I knew there was something fishy going on."

"Yes well after I talked to my family, I called your mom and dad."

"You spoke to my parents?"

"Yes, more specifically to your father. I asked for your hand."

"You did? Well that is so sweet and old fashion."

"It's what I was taught."

"I'm assuming he agreed?"

"He did, but I probably would have asked you anyway."

"So I assume since you told Leonard and Penny, the whole gang knows."

"Yes, but they know for an entirely different reason. I wanted them to know so they could help me plan the wedding."

"What do you mean plan the wedding?"

"Now you promised not to be upset, but we are getting married next Friday in Disney World." He smiled at her hoping she wouldn't get angry.

"Next Friday? Are you serious?" She was a bit shocked by this development. "How do you expect me to plan a wedding in a week?"

"Well now that is why I had our friends help. Penny and Bernadette are in charge of dresses. Leonard is picking up the wedding bands I purchased the other day."

"Wait, you purchased wedding bands the other day? From Pasadena?"

"No I ordered them at a jewelry store at the mall. They were able to have them made at their store in Pasadena. They weren't going to be ready before we left Philadelphia and I couldn't exactly have them delivered to Orlando. You may have gotten suspicious if I asked to go to a jewelry store when we got there."

"If you knew we were getting married next week, and proposing today, I think I would not have been very suspicious about getting wedding bands while we were down there."

"Oh no, you misunderstand. When I ordered those rings, I hadn't planned on proposing until Wednesday at Disney. I had the whole thing planned out. We had reservations at the Glass Slipper table in Cinderella's Royal Feast. I was going to do it then. But I got a call yesterday saying they messed up our reservations."

"That explains the surprise comment you made on the phone yesterday."

"Yes and I thought for sure I was caught that time. I have had so many close calls with you. It wasn't easy getting away from you this week."

"So you were going to propose on Wednesday and we were going to be married two days later. And you thought I would be able to plan it in 2 days. But since that didn't work out you gave me a week instead. Is this all correct?" She sounded a bit irritated but not mad.

"Um, yes, but like I said I have the whole thing already planned. The girls have picked out dresses, the rings are bought and everyone is coming on Wednesday to be here for the wedding."

"Everyone is coming?"

"Of course, I don't want to not share our marriage with our friends. Are you upset? Because we can change it if you don't like it."

"No I am not upset. It's just I can't believe you did all this. This is really real, right? I am not dreaming."

"You are not dreaming, I can assure you. I wanted all our friends present when I proposed but it didn't work out that way. I needed a plan B and Raj suggested the zoo. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it. It was the perfect place, our place."

"It was perfect. I agree. So when you say they are all coming, who do you mean?"

"The 6 remaining members of our group, apparently Emily has become a member, even if I don't approve, my mom and meemaw and of course your parents will all be there."

"When are they arriving?"

"They are all coming in on Wednesday afternoon. They are staying with us in the same hotel I believe. We will still be dining at the Royal Feast but it will be more of an engagement/rehearsal dinner."

"It sounds perfect. Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Not in the last 15 minutes. I love you too."

They finished their dinner and headed back to the hotel. Once there they called their friends. Leonard answered the Skype call after two rings.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" He said with a smile. He didn't want to give anything away in case Sheldon had changed his mind about the proposal at the zoo.

Amy answered by showing them her left hand. The gang let out a collective cheer. This was followed by many questions about how it happened and if Sheldon was romantic.

"Sheldon was very romantic." She answered them.

"Did he actually get down on one knee or was it too germy for him." Penny asked.

"He got down on one knee. He did it right."

"That is so beautiful. So where did he actually propose?" Raj asked.

"At the primate building."

"Awwwwww…" Everyone yelled. They knew how much Amy loved the monkeys.

"Sheldon is so grown up." Penny cried.

"Yes, Sheldon is all grown up now. You can all stop. I want to get down to business before I end this call to celebrate with my fiancé." He said to them all. "Is everything ready for next week?" He asked

"Ah the bossy Sheldon returns." Howard said.

"I am not bossy. I just want to make sure everything is perfect."

"Sheldon, I am sure they have done everything you have asked. Now give them a break, they have apparently been working very hard for you while you have been on vacation."

"She's right you know." Leonard said.

"Oh all right I suppose Amy is correct. You have been working hard. I suppose I can trust you to have done everything right."

They heard the unmistakable sound of the whip app they had all discovered a few years back. The boys all just laughed.

"Grow up Howard!" Sheldon yelled at him but really just smiled.

"So Amy, we have found the perfect dress for you." Penny said changing the subject.

"I have no choice but to trust your judgment. I just hope it is not too racy for my tastes."

"It isn't. I had very explicit instructions to make it more like you dress than I do. I think we found a decidedly middle of the road. Don't you agree Bernadette?"

"Oh it will absolutely look stunning on you."

"I trust you."

"Oh Penny, about your dresses." Sheldon said. "It seems I may have been wrong about those."

"Don't worry Sheldon" She said. "We got our dresses in lavender."

"How did you know?"

"I tried to tell you we have all talked. Especially when we were picking dresses for Bernadette's wedding. Amy tried on this beautiful lavender gown and decided that was the color she would have if she ever got married. So we went and picked that color for the dresses we will be wearing."

"Well then in this case I am glad you didn't listen to me."

"So am I. Listen Amy, I am going to send you a text with pictures of the dresses. Don't keep them. We don't want anyone snooping through your phone to see what you will be wearing."

"Hey I don't snoop. Besides why can't I see the dress? We don't keep secrets from each other."

"In this case we will be." She said to him. "It is a tradition that we do not see each other the day of the wedding before I walk down the aisle."

"Yes but we are staying in the same room. It will be impossible for me not to see you the day of the wedding."

"Oh you won't be staying with her. She will be with me and you will be bunking with Leonard." Penny said.

"That isn't fair."

"It's tradition. Besides I promised your mother that you would at least follow this established tradition. She said she didn't care if you were sinning or not, but you will not see Amy before she walks down the aisle. She also told me that your meemaw wouldn't approve either."

"Fine, I guess we are staying apart." He conceited.

"Speaking of sinning," Howard asked. " Have you two done the deed?"

"Howie!" Bernadette yelled at him.

"Yeah we don't ask those kinds of questions." Leonard said.

"Maybe you don't but Howard and I want to know." Penny said.

Sheldon and Amy just looked at each other.

"Oh my God! You have done it!" Penny screamed.

"We promised each other that if any of you asked directly we wouldn't lie to you." Amy answered.

"So that means yes." Bernadette concluded.

"Yes." Amy answered

This was followed by more cheering and more questions. It became too much for Sheldon to handle. No one would let him get a word in edgewise.

"Okay guys, enough!" Sheldon shouted. "Now you all know and I must say I am grateful there hasn't been any mocking."

"Why would we mock you?" Penny asked.

"Oh I don't think you would but I do know someone that might." He looked directly at Howard.

"I've been told to be nice." He said sadly.

This time it was Sheldon who used the whip app. This got a laugh from everyone, including Howard.

"I deserved that." He said.

"Yes well now you all know. You can ask Amy all the questions you want when you see her next week. Whether she will answer them or not is her business. I am hoping she won't paint to graphic a picture but I will leave that up to her. I know you hens like to cluck about your romantic partners. But now if you will excuse us I would like to have some alone time with my fiancé to celebrate."

"Okay Sheldon we get it." Penny said. "We will let you go. See you next Wednesday."

"Bye bestie, bye everyone." Amy said and Sheldon disconnected the call.

"Now we have to call my mother. I promised her I would call this morning."

"You spoke with your mother this morning?" She asked him.

"I was up very early and needed someone to talk about today. I knew she would be awake. She is an early riser like me. Meemaw was there as well. I spoke with her."

"Well then if you promised then you better call them. I have to call my parents too."

"How about this. I will leave you and call my mom and meemaw. You can make your call here and then we will meet back here in a little while."

"That's a good idea. Now don't be too long." She said. "I need to have some alone time with you before we sleep."

"I won't. Do you think you could wear you _Flash_ nightgown tonight?"

"I could be persuaded." She said to him.

He leaned in and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now go so we can get these calls over with quickly."

"Okay." He kissed her again and left the room.

Amy got her phone and called her father's phone number.

"Hello." Jerry Fowler answered.

"Hi dad." Amy answered him. "Is mom around? I want to talk to both of you."

"Yes she is our room reading. I will call her." She heard him call for her mother. "Is everything okay? Where are you guys? Where are you going next? Is he treating you right?"

"Geez dad give me a minute to answer one question before you ask the next one. Everything is great. We are in Philadelphia. We are heading to Orlando next, even though you already know that since you are coming on Wednesday, and Sheldon is treating me just fine."

"Wait you know we are coming?" Just then her mother came in the room. "Here is your mother. I will put this on speaker."

"Hello Amy. This is a surprise. I didn't expect to hear from you by phone until you got back home."

"Well now that doesn't sound right since I know you all are coming to Orlando on Wednesday."

"You know?" Sandy asked. "That means only one thing."

"Sheldon proposed!" Amy screamed into the phone.

"I take it you said yes then?" Her father asked jokingly.

"Of course I said yes, dad. I love him."

"I know you do sweetheart. He seems like a nice young man. When I spoke with him last week I could tell he genuinely loves you."

"He does and I love him very much."

"I am curious as to why his plan changed though." Her mother inquired.

"It seems the restaurant overbooked the table he had gotten for us. Now we will all be sitting together. He said it can be like an engagement dinner."

"That sounds wonderful. So how did he propose? Were you surprised?" She asked

"My goodness, you all have so many questions. Yes I was surprised. I never expected him to propose. He did it at the Philadelphia Zoo. We love going to the zoo together. It is sort of our special place. It was perfect."

"That sounds so romantic."

"It really was." She heard Sheldon coming back in the room. "Mom I have to go, Sheldon is back. He was calling his mom."

"Okay we will see you next week.:

They hung up the phone and Amy went to get ready for bed.

Sheldon left the room and walked down to the pool area. He dialed his mother's phone number. She picked up rather quickly.

"Hi Shelly, how are you? Let me get meemaw."

"Hi moon pie, how did it go with Amy?"

"Hi mom, hi meemaw. Everything went exactly right. I proposed right after lunch by the primate building and she said yes."

"Oh that is wonderful, Shelly. I am so happy for you." Mary said.

"How does she feel about the wedding being next week?" His meemaw asked.

"She was surprised at first but is very excited. She even said she trusts Penny's judgment about the dress."

"That's terrific. I can' wait to meet her moon pie."

"You are going to love her. I know she is excited to meet you too."

"Well if you love her, then I know I will also."

"I know you will. I have to go. I promised Amy I wouldn't be too long on the phone."

"Okay, you go and celebrate with your fiancé. We will see you next week."

"Bye Sheldon." His mother said.

"Goodbye." He disconnected the call and walked back up to the room. He heard Amy finishing her call to her parents. When he entered the room she had gone into the bathroom. She came out 10 minutes later wearing the _Flash_ nightgown he had requested.

"Wow, I really do love the way you look in that." He said to her.

"Well why don't you show me how much."

He led her to the bed and they spent the rest of the night celebrating the new change in their relationship.

**Sorry I don't write Shamy sexy fun time but I think I like leaving it to your imaginations.**

**Reviews are welcome. Next chapter in the works.**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. It makes me feel great. Anyway I know some of you are excited for the wedding which will be coming up during their next stop. However, they are not getting married for several days and I have some fun things planned for them along the way. First we will spend a couple of days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. So here we go. **

**Just a few disclaimers: I don't own BBT or any of the characters. I also don't own Universal Studios or any of their cool attractions. **

They left Philadelphia on Sunday and were due to arrive in Orlando at around 10:30 on Monday morning. Their plan was to rent a car, drive to the hotel and then head to Universal where they would spend the next two days. After that was Disney, where their friends would join them Wednesday afternoon for dinner that evening. He knew his friends would be traveling all day so he hoped they wouldn't be too tired to dine with them.

When they arrived in Orlando, they rented a car and then drove to the hotel. After settling in a bit, they left for the park.

"You know, you really should learn to drive." Amy said. They had this conversation before but he always blew if off with some excuse.

"I've told you this before; I am too evolved to drive."

"And I've told you, you're full of it. You're too stubborn to learn not too evolved. I could teach you to drive in one day."

"We aren't even married yet and you are nagging me."

"Nagging you? You think I am nagging you? I am merely suggesting that I could get you driving in one day. You are unbelievable."

Sheldon knew he had said the wrong thing. He had to figure a way out of this one or she could be mad at him all day. "Perhaps nagging wasn't the correct word." He said hoping to smooth things over.

"Do you have a better word then?"

He knew he was in trouble. There wasn't a better word for nagging, more like a worse word. "I think you were only making a suggestion and a good one at that. Maybe I should learn to drive."

"You are getting better at saving yourself, Cooper." She said to him. She was still angry but she wouldn't be for long.

"Well good to know. I will try again I promise."

"Now see that wasn't so hard was it?"

"I suppose you are right. Now I have a serious question for you."

"Okay what is it?"

"Are you going to take my name after the wedding? I know that some women are keeping their names and well I am old fashion and would really like you to have my name, but two Dr. Coopers in one household could get confusing."

"I had not thought about it. I always assumed if I ever got married I would take my husband's name but you are right about the Dr. Cooper thing. Maybe I could hyphenate, Amy Fowler-Cooper. Dr. Fowler-Cooper sounds good to me."

"I like the sound of that myself."

"So speaking of the wedding, you said you took care of everything, right?"

"I have, what do you want to know?"

"Did you get a marriage license?"

"Yes, it was easy to apply online. You will have to sign it obviously."

"You said you have rings, right?"

"Leonard picked them up on Saturday. He sent a picture in a text."

"Who is marrying us?" She knew he had taken care of all the other details. He was meticulous in his planning. This was what she was most curious about though.

"Well my mom wanted me to find a minister. I told her that would be tedious and then she was going to bring hers with them but I talked her out of that one. Raj will be marrying us. He has kept his license up since the Wolowitz wedding and I knew he would make it special."

"It won't be in Klingon will it?"

"No, Raj told me you wouldn't like that. So it will be in English only."

"Then it sounds perfect."

"It will be. Now what do we want see at Universal?" He asked as they were driving into the parking lot.

"Well as I have never been here, I want to see everything. What do you most want to see?"

"I am most looking forward to the Marvel Superhero Section and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I can't wait to ride the Hogwarts Express."

"I look forward to that section as well. Why don't we start there." She said to him as they were entering the gates.

They made their way over to Universal Studios where the new expansion of the Wizarding World was located. As they walked through the park they decided they would wait until the next day to explore the rest of the attractions at this park. It was very crowded. When they got to Diagon Alley, they explored Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. They rode Escape from Gringotts and stopped by Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for a treat. They got in line for the Hogwarts Express which would take them to the other park and the rest of Harry Potter.

"I can't believe we actually got to run into Platform 9¾! It's like we are really in the books." Amy said excitedly.

"I can't believe I didn't know you were this much into Harry Potter."

"Oh I love Harry Potter. I identified so much with Hermione. She is so smart and didn't have any friends until she met Harry and Ron. She lived my life. I didn't have any friends until I met you."

"I can see Hermione in you. I guess I recognize Harry in me. I was bullied by family members, well not my parents, but certainly my siblings and cousins. I felt safer when I went away to college, ironically at 11. Although that wasn't always easy either. It became easier when I met Leonard and his friends. I guess my life is like Harry's. Once he found his true friends, his life had meaning. Hopefully I won't ever have to destroy the most evil man in my world."

"Well then you could be a true superhero." She laughed.

"That would be something, wouldn't it?"

They boarded the train after waiting about an hour and it took them to Islands of Adventure and Hogsmeade. They continued the exploration of all things Harry Potter. They rode all three rides in this section. They each tried Butterbeer and enjoyed it very much.

After they finished in Hogsmeade, they began to work through the rest of the park. They like Seuss land and Toon Town. Sheldon enjoyed the Marvel Superheroes section and made Amy ride Spiderman 3 times. They left the park at closing and worked their way through the crowds to the car.

They were exhausted when they arrived back at their room and were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

The next day they went to the Universal Studios and continued their journey. They enjoyed the Transformers 3D ride and Springfield.

"I'm so glad you suggested coming here." Amy said to him.

"I'm glad you suggested Florida otherwise we may never have gotten here. Speaking of places to go, we haven't discussed a honeymoon destination. After all, we have two weeks left on your vacation after Sunday. Is there anywhere special you would like to go?"

"Oh well I hadn't thought we would be traveling after this week. There is so much to be done at home now. Maybe we can take a trip somewhere nice at Valentine's and call that our honeymoon. I think I really just want to get home."

"Are you sure? We can do whatever you want."

"I think I want to go back to California. Like I said there is so much to do. I will have to pack my apartment in order to move in to our place."

"What are we going to do with it all?"

"I'm sure we will figure it out. So you see, with only two weeks until I have to get back to work, we will have a lot of logistics to work out. I don't want to leave that to you in your second month. You need that time for you."

"Well than California it is."

"Has Leonard completely moved out of the apartment?"

"When I spoke with him last, he said he was going to be out by the end of this past weekend. I wasn't sure what we had planned and I let him know we very well could be back. He didn't seem to mind. He and Penny had been together every night anyway it was just a matter of getting his things out. We still have many things that we bought together that will need to be sorted though. He said he would put them all in his room."

"At least that transition has taken place. It would have been awkward to come home and have Leonard living with us as well."

"We would have just stayed at your place until he was gone then."

"Well I am glad you guys came to an arrangement. I didn't want to see you fighting."

"I am glad the four of us won't be living together. Can you imagine living with Penny?"

"Even though she is my best friend, I must say, I would not want to live with her. She has no routine. The few times I have stayed at her place were not pleasant. She is completely unorganized."

"Well let's hope Leonard is a good influence on her. If I have one thing to say about him as a roommate, he was very neat. My roommate before him was a slob. It was awful. I swore if I had to get another roommate he would have to be organized. The thought of another slob was abhorrent."

"You won't have to worry about that ever again. I know for a fact your new roommate is neat as a pin."

"But I am not getting another roommate."

"Excuse me?"

"Now wait, hear me out, I am sure you will like this answer. I have nothing to save myself from. I am not getting a roommate, I am going to have a wife."

"I like that answer."

"I thought you would." He gave her a kiss. "I am turning into a hippie."

"I won't allow it."

"Too late." He kissed her again.

"Well maybe I could learn to live with it." She smiled. "Do you want to see anything else here?" She asked him indicating Universal.

"No, but I would like to go back to the sweets shop at Hogsmeade and pick up something."

They took the Hogwarts Express back over to Hogsmeade and entered Honeydukes. Sheldon wanted to buy everyone a chocolate frog. He really was turning into a hippie as he was buying presents for his friends. He had such a sweet tooth he ended up spending more money than he originally intended but he wanted to try so many different things.

"I can't believe your sweet tooth." Amy said to him. "I'm surprised you have any teeth."

"Well as I brush my teeth at least twice a day, more when we are at home, my teeth are in perfect condition. I have never even had a cavity."

"That surprises me but as you are meticulous with your hygiene, I should be at all surprised."

"How about you? You are much like me. Have you ever had a cavity?"

"Unfortunately I have. I had braces when I was a teenager, just another thing for the kids to make fun of me. So they were a lot harder to brush under. I still was just as meticulous as you were but when they came off I ended up having 10 cavities at once. I haven't had one since then though."

"Ten at once? Wow that must have been painful."

"It wasn't fun."

"Well I am not worried. I have never had a cavity and I don't plan on ever getting one."

"Never say never."

"I'll take my chances."

They ended the day at Islands of Adventure riding Spiderman another 2 times. When they got back to the hotel they were again extremely tired and fell asleep quickly.

**I know Sheldon has a sweet tooth and he would have fallen in love with Honeydukes. I wanted to paint a picture of a true child in a candy shop. Oh and that thing with Amy, happened to me. Never a cavity before the braces came off and I had 13 at once. So it can happen. If any of you have been to Universal I hope I made it just as much fun for them as I had when I went this past winter. I know Diagon Alley just opened and these guys are there a full month early but let's pretend okay. I don't know everything about the workings just what I saw on the special NBC put out about it so if they don't really run through Platform 9 3/4 it is okay that I embellished right? So now that this chapter is over...on to Disney. Reviews help me write the story for you.  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I am so happy I got two typed I decided to post them both on the same day. So enjoy.  
**

On Wednesday morning Amy was awake first. She was excited to see everyone that evening. She couldn't believe she would be getting married in two days. She began to think back on her relationship with Sheldon. They had had many ups and downs in the four years they had been together. There were many in this year alone. So many good things and bad, like when he thought he had discovered the super element only to be proven wrong by Leonard. That was rough on him and her. She got much closer to him then. He began to appreciate her. Then when he went away to help his sister with the birth of his nephew, the gang talked about what life would be like without him and she realized just how much he was an influence in her life. That might have been the moment she 100% realized just how much she loved him. She knew she loved him but that was the moment she knew she couldn't live without him. When Leonard showed her that screensaver she was even surer. She didn't know his feelings but knew he at least cared.

She then thought about the last 4 months and how much had happened since then. She had tricked him into romance for Valentine's Day. She knew she shouldn't have done it but he seemed to be moving at a snail's pace in the relationship and they had become so close. He initiated a kiss on that train and even though at first it was to spite her, she knew he had enjoyed it, because he took two steps forward, a very important two steps, and put his hand on her hip. She would never let him slip back those two steps, just like she never backed down after he initiated the first hand hold. He fought it and fought it but he never won the arguments. It became a habit for him even if he claimed he didn't enjoy it. There were times she didn't even have to remind him.

He attempted to break up with her over a stupid table. She knew how to manipulate him not to go through with it but still signed the termination clause. This was where she got the most out the relationship. She only ever manipulated things twice in the relationship, the Valentine's trip, even if that only ended well and then this time. She was now going to make sure the new agreement was going to have that working on it clause inside its pages. Kissing was going to be a regular part of their relationship whether he liked it or not. Surprisingly when they began to renegotiate the agreement, he was the one who put it in to the agreement. He wanted it to be private though and she was okay with that although she would have appreciated a kiss every now and then when she left his apartment, but she had seen him grow. He increased date nights to weekly instead of monthly and that wasn't even in the agreement. She knew he wanted to kiss her and that was his excuse. No matter what people might say, he was changing for the better. He was not some asexual being, he was a man and she knew it. She just had to bring him out of his shell, just like he had brought her out of hers. She had been just like him in the beginning of their relationship.

When he decided to change careers their relationship hit some more bumps. There was so much misery going on between him and Penny with her damn movie that she needed a break. She had to lie to him just to get away from his obsession with his career. She couldn't believe he had bought it when she said she was sick and that he didn't want to rush over and take care of her like it said in the agreement. She had kept that part even though she had taken advantage of it before. He had offered but she told him it was just a minor illness and she wouldn't need his comfort. She also said she didn't want to get him sick. But then the lies caught up to her when the trio had decided to do anything can happen Thursday. She was sure she was safe because they always had pizza.

When he finally made a decision about his career, the university said no. He was a String Theorist and that was what he had to stay. His grant money paid for him to study string theory and he had no other choice. It was an outrage to him. Then on top of it all, Leonard decides to tell him he doesn't want to live with him anymore because he wants to give Penny the life she deserves. Amy understood that, she had even told him that. But then she made a mistake with him, yet again. This time she suggested they would make good roommates. Not her best timing. When he ran out the door she had no idea where he was going. She got worried when he wouldn't answer his phone. Then he called. He said he was running away and needed to talk. When she found out her friends had seen him and not informed her she was angry but she gets over things. Then he apologized for his behavior and asked her to journey with him. He wanted to work on their relationship without any outside influences. She was so relieved. As much as she loved Penny and Leonard, he was influenced by them, just like she was. She never had girlfriends so when she met Penny, she began to act like a teenager. She wanted it all and she seemed to have it all, girlfriends and an awesome boyfriend. He was so much like her when they met and then she changed and she wanted him to as well. Maybe she was pushing him too hard sometimes, but he never seemed to run too far. Well except this time, but he asked her to come with him so he didn't run from her. And she knew he loved her, he had said so. His changes had been gradual but hers had been quick. They were now in the same place at the same time. And they were getting married in two days.

The realization of this finally hit her. Two days from now she would be Dr. Amy Fowler-Cooper and she hadn't planned any of it. She trusted Sheldon and her friends. She didn't have a choice, did she? He had given her a week, she could get her own dress, but she loved what Penny picked. If it didn't look right she would only have a day to shop. What if she didn't like the color when she saw the girls' dresses in person, what would she do? She could just not take pictures with them in the gowns. She was being silly. She knew it but she was beginning to sweat. She never had a panic attack in her life. She had seen Sheldon go through a few and knew how to handle him, but her she was not so sure. She was hyperventilating now and her heart was beating fast. She loved Sheldon she knew that so what was wrong with her. She was on the verge of tears when Sheldon woke up.

"Amy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She lied as she quickly wiped her tears away and acted as if everything was fine.

"You're lying. Clearly you are upset about something. What is it?"

"I've been thinking about us."

"You're not breaking up with me are you?" Now Sheldon was the one panicking.

"No, Sheldon, calm down. I was thinking about everything we have been through this year.

"We have been through a lot haven't we?"

"Yes and you have to admit it hasn't all been good."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we have had our share of issues including what happened right before we came on this trip."

"You are breaking up with me! I knew it. How could you accept my proposal and then days later break up with me?"

"Sheldon!" She yelled at him. "Again I am not breaking up with you. That would be the dumbest thing in the world for me to do. I love you."

"Then what is this about?"

"Well if you would stop interrupting me I could tell you."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I understand why you would think that. I haven't gotten to my point. While I was thinking about everything we have been through, the good and the bad, it hit me that we will be married in two days. I guess I panicked a bit."

"Do you still want to get married? We don't have to if you don't want. We can just call this trip with our friends and family a gigantic engagement party. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy and I absolutely want to get married. It's just I guess I had a moment of cold feet. It happens. Remember what happened before Howard and Bernadette got married?"

"I remember the aftermath of the bachelor party."

"Yes well you saw it from his side, I saw her side. She was devastated. I think it was cold feet and she used that as an excuse. She may not have known everything there was to know about Howard and she had every right to be angry but deep down she loved him and would have been devastated if they had not been married. I didn't know him before but Penny had warned me never to get in a car alone with him."

"He was so much different. I am glad you heeded Penny's advice. Although you did get in a car with him for the scavenger hunt."

"Yes but he is different now that he is married. We had so much fun that day. He is a good friend. I just wish you would see that. Why do you think I invited them instead of Penny and Leonard with us for Valentine's Day?"

"I did wonder that but then I thought it might have to do with all the wine we would be consuming."

"Fair point, which Leonard pointed out when we invited them along. But no, I like Howard and Bernadette is easier to have a conversation with sometimes. I just think if you got to know Howard better, you could be friends."

"We are much better friends since we went to Houston together. He gave me some excellent advice regarding my mother. I will have to give him another chance."

"Thank you. So you see, I just panicked a bit. I love you Sheldon. I want to be your wife. I can't wait until Friday. Please forgive my nerves."

"I love you too. Please don't think you can't talk to me about these things. I am nervous too. But I have been planning this and I have had my friends to talk to about the nerves. Maybe when Penny and Bernadette get here you can talk to them. You can have one of your girls nights."

"Oh I have a feeling the girls have some big plans for tomorrow night and the boys have something special planned for you as well."

"Oh I am not sure I want to know about that."

"Just don't get to wild and nothing better be posted on YouTube."

"I will keep that in mind as long as you do the same."

"You mean no strippers?"

"Ha ha very funny Dr. Fowler."

"Same goes for you."

"Understood. I love you."

"I love you too."

**So a bit of nerves and cold feet are coming out. Trust me they are getting married, I promise but not for a few more chapters. Sorry. Next up, the dinner party. I think a few more nerves may come out of this. Sheldon must meet his future in laws in person and Amy gets to meet meemaw. How will that all play out? Stay tuned...**


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry for such a long time waiting for this chapter but I have wanted to get everything right. Sheldon and Amy are meeting their family and friends. There will be a bit of nerves on the part of both of them. So be prepared. I am happy to say that I have finished writing the entire story plus a couple chapter follow up story. I hope to be able to finish typing them up within the next day or two. So they will be published soon...**

**As always I own nothing.**

After their talk, the two got ready to head to Disney World. They knew their friends and family would be arriving in the afternoon. Sheldon had told Leonard to text or call when they made it to the park so they could meet them. Their plane was landing at 4:30 so he figured they would be in the park no later than 6:00. They had dinner reservations for 7:30.

They decided to start in Epcot. They had read online they should start in the back of the park and work their way through the World Showcase and forward through the rest of the park. After they finished Epcot they would go to Magic Kingdom to meet their friends. They enjoyed Epcot and left at around 5:15.

"I'm glad we read to do the back of the park first even though it does seem many have discovered that secret." Sheldon said to them.

"There were not many children in the beginning though but that may be because there are not many of the traditional Disney characters back there. Many little girls are more interested in the princesses and boys want to see Buzz Lightyear and Woody." Amy said

"I am sure that is true, but shouldn't children be exposed to the culture of other countries?"

"Oh I agree and when we have children we will bring them here first before taking them to the characters." She wasn't sure mentioning children were a good idea but it wasn't like they hadn't thought about it before.

"I suppose our little benign overlords will need culture in order to guide humanity to a brighter tomorrow."

"So true. Now let's go see some princes and princesses." She said smiling.

"I've already found my princess." Sheldon said to her

This was so unlike Sheldon Amy looked shocked. He had told her she was beautiful, which she found hard to believe but now he was saying she was a princess. This was not the real Sheldon. She stopped in the middle of the walk.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I'm just wondering what you have done with my real boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? I was under the impression you didn't have a boyfriend anymore."

"Oh right, still getting used to that. I meant fiancé. But it still remains what have you done with the real Sheldon?"

"I told you I am turning into a hippie."

"I suppose I have no choice but to get used to it."

"I guess you will." He leaned down and kissed her.

"Hey you two, get a room!" The unmistakable voice of Penny yelled from a distance.

"Penny!" Amy screamed as her best friend and the rest of the group caught up to them.

"You were supposed to text us when you got here." Sheldon said to Leonard.

"I sent it 5 minutes ago when we pulled into the parking lot."

Sheldon pulled out his phone to check and sure enough there was a text from Leonard.

"It seems I must have missed it."

"Yes well you were preoccupied." Howard laughed. He was met by a glare from his wife.

They all greeted one another and exchanged pleasantries.

"Where are our parents?" Amy asked when she realized they weren't there yet.

"We decided to come straight to the park from the airport, but your parents, Mary and meemaw decided to go to the hotel room and relax a bit. They will meet us at the restaurant at 7:15. We have had a long day of traveling. We started at 3am Florida time." Bernadette answered.

"Well I am so glad you guys are here." Amy said as she hugged her two best friends. "I have so much to tell you."

"Yes well let's start with you showing us the ring." Penny said. She showed them the ring.

"It's beautiful." Emily said to her.

"It was Sheldon's meemaw's. She shipped it to him while we were in Philadelphia."

"I can't believe he was able to keep it a secret for so long. He is awful at keeping secrets." Penny said.

"I almost found out a few times. I walked in on conversations he was having with you guys on the phone. I still don't know how you managed to call my father without my knowledge."

"He called you father?" Penny asked.

"Yes, he asked for my hand."

The gang looked at Sheldon.

"Really?" Howard asked. "You asked permission to marry Amy? That's so…"

"Romantic." Raj finished the sentence.

"I was going to say old fashion." Howard finished.

"No I am with Raj on this one. I think it's very romantic." Bernadette said. "You didn't ask for my hand." She said to Howard.

"Way to make us all look bad." Leonard said to Sheldon.

"Hey leave him alone." Penny defended him.

"Thank you, Penny. I am sorry gentlemen if what I did seems old fashioned but it was what I was taught. It didn't seem right not asking for her hand."

"Okay enough about that. We have over an hour and a half until we meet for dinner. Let's hit Space Mountain." Penny said. "Oh wait. Sheldon have you eaten anything recently?"

"We had lunch a couple of hours ago." He answered.

"No churros?"

"No smarty pants."

"I'm missing something." Amy said.

"If he eats something like churros, he tends to get sick on Space Mountain. Even if he says he is fine." Leonard said.

"I will not!"

"Tell that to my shoes." Penny laughed.

"When did you get sick on Penny's shoes?"

"She took me to Disneyland several years ago. I got sick after eating churros then riding Space Mountain. It won't happen this time, I promise."

"Well he hasn't eaten in a while. We should be okay. Let's go." Amy said.

"Just make sure you have all your clothes on at the end. They take a picture." Penny reminded them.

"Only you would know that bit of information." Sheldon said to her.

The group went and got in line for Space Mountain. They waited about 45 minutes. Nobody got sick afterwards. They then hit a few rides with no lines and finally made their way to dinner with about 20 minutes to spare.

Sheldon was nervous again but for an entirely different reason than the other day. He had never met Amy's parents in person and had only been introduced to her mom once before this trip started. He hadn't made a good impression. She seemed to be more accepting when they spoke earlier in the trip and when he called for permission to ask for Amy's hand, but he was still nervous. He had never met her father, just spoke with him. Mr. Fowler seemed to respect Sheldon for the fact he had called and had told him he looked forward to meeting him. It didn't make him any less nervous.

Amy was also nervous. She had met Mary on a couple of occasions but she really wanted to impress Meemaw. She meant the world to Sheldon. What if she didn't like her? Amy didn't know what she would do. She loved Sheldon more than anything in the world. It would break her heart if Meemaw didn't like her.

Penny, who hadn't been the best friend over the past couple of weeks, noticed both Sheldon and Amy fidgeting. She went to speak with Leonard.

"Hey sweetie, why don't you go over there and calm your best friend's nerves."

"What do you think is wrong with him?"

"My guess is he's nervous about meeting Amy's parents. Call it a hunch, but I know Amy has told me he always has gotten out of going to dinner over there. Now that they are engaged and going to be married in a couple of days, he doesn't have a choice but to meet them. Now does he? I am going to talk to Amy. She looks like she is a bundle of nerves as well."

"What is her issue?"

Before she could answer it came to him.

"Meemaw." They both said at once.

"I hadn't met her before today either. She is such a nice woman. Sheldon wasn't wrong about that. I don't see why Amy has any reason to be nervous."

"That is probably it. Sheldon loves his Meemaw. Amy is probably thinking about what might happen if she doesn't like her. Although with how sweet that woman is, I see no reason for her to dislike Amy."

"Well alright, I will talk to Sheldon and you talk to Amy. We have about 20 minutes to calm them down."

Leonard walked over to where Amy and Sheldon were standing.

"Hey Sheldon, can I speak with you for a moment?" He asked.

"Now? Can this wait?"

"No I need to tell you something."

"It's okay." Amy said. "Penny is waving me over to her and Bernadette."

"Fine, but let's make this quick. Our families will be here momentarily." Sheldon said irritably.

"Relax we still have 15 minutes." Leonard led Sheldon over to a bench just beyond earshot of the rest of the group.

"Okay so what was so important that you had to drag me away?"

"How are you doing, buddy?"

"Leonard, I am fine."

"How long have I known you?"

"Ten years, but I don't know what this has to do with anything."

"I can see you are a bundle of nerves, now what's wrong?"

"What if they hate me?"

Penny had called Bernadette over to help talk with Amy.

"Hey Ames, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, why?"

"Really, because it looks like you are ready to burst." Bernadette said.

"Fine, I am going crazy inside. I know Mary likes me, Sheldon has told me. But what about his meemaw. What if she hates me?"

"Listen, Sheldon, they won't hate you. You did everything right. You called and asked her father's permission to marry her. You can't get much more respectful than that."

"I know but I have refused every other time to meet them. I wasn't ready for that level of commitment at the time. I made every excuse in the book. The one time I did meet her mom before this trip, I really didn't make a good impression."

"Just be yourself and you will be fine. Don't put on an act for them. She wants them to meet the real you."

"I hope you are right."

"Amy, Meemaw is going to love you. Do you know why I know this?"

"No why?"

"Because Sheldon loves you. I've overheard conversations he has had with her. He talks about you constantly and that was before this trip."

"He does?"

"Yes and he is her moon pie. I guarantee she will love you."

"I hope you are right."

They came back together as a group just as Mary, Meemaw, and the Fowlers were walking towards them.

"Is everything alright with Leonard?" Amy asked Sheldon.

"Yes, how about with Penny and Bernadette?" He answered not letting on what they had talked about.

"They're fine."

"Well since everyone is her, let's go greet them."

The couple walked over to their families and greeted everyone with hugs. Amy was first to introduce her family.

"Dad, I want you to meet my fiancé, Sheldon Cooper." She said to him.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Sheldon." Jerry Fowler said to him.

"Mr. Fowler, it's nice to meet you as well. Mrs. Fowler, it's good to see you again." He answered nervously.

"Now you're going to be family. I want you to call me Jerry."

"Alright, Jerry." And he shook the man's hand. Mrs. Fowler gave him an unexpected hug, which Sheldon accepted gratefully.

Now that Sheldon had met Amy's parents, it was time for her to meet Meemaw.

"Meemaw, this is Amy." He said to her.

Meemaw pulled Amy into a big hug.

"It's so nice to meet you dear." She said. "My moon pie talks about you so much I feel like I already you know you. You call me Meemaw like everyone else does."

"It's nice to meet you. I feel like I know you as well since Sheldon speaks of you often."

"Shall we go inside for dinner?" Sheldon said. They all followed him inside.

Dinner went very well. Sheldon spoke with Jerry about his work even though he still wasn't 100% sure he would still be working in the field of string theory.

"I can't say I understand any of what you just said but you speak about it with such a passion. Why would you ever want to change fields?" Jerry asked him.

"Well I have been working on it for almost 20 years and I am not sure it will ever be proven."

"Well from what I have heard, if anyone can prove it, you will be the one."

Sheldon looked at Amy who was talking to his mother and smiled. He couldn't believe she told her father that she thought he could prove string theory. He added yet another reason to love her.

"Perhaps I will continue, but I still have a little over a month to decide."

"Well whatever you decide I can tell you Amy will support you. But don't take too long now because you will have a wife to support."

"Dad! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Sheldon will not be supporting me."

"Oh Amy, I didn't mean it like that. I just want to make sure…"

"Jerry." Sheldon interrupted. "I understand your fear but rest assured I will not make Amy support me. I will make a decision about my job soon. What you said to me tonight has gotten me thinking more about it. The decision will be made."

"Thank you, Sheldon. Amy, I was just worried. I didn't mean to imply that you can't take care of yourself."

"I know dad. It's just I don't want Sheldon to feel pressured to make any rash decisions."

"Amy, I don't feel that way. Your dad was just expressing his concerns."

"So have you guys decided if you are going on a honeymoon after the wedding?" Meemaw asked changing the subject.

"We aren't going on a honeymoon right away. We have already been away for a month. Amy wants to get back so she can pack her apartment up. She has another two weeks of vacation time."

"So you're not going anywhere?" Sandy asked.

"Well we were thinking about taking a long weekend trip at Valentine's. Perhaps we will take another trip to Napa." Amy answered, thinking about this past year.

"That sounds romantic." Penny said. "Listen Amy, if you need help moving or packing, I will be glad to help."

Everyone around the table said they would help as well.

The rest of dinner went extremely well. The couple told their friends all about the places they had been. They left the restaurant around 9:30 and were just in time to see the fireworks display. The gang then left for the hotel and agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning at 10:00.

**Only a couple more chapters to what you have all been waiting for, the wedding. Reviews help me post and write faster.**

**Thanks to all of you who are sticking through this tale. Oh and by the way...happy taping day!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Yeah! Two in one day. If you haven't read chapter 25 go back and then come to this one. This is a quick chapter about the bachelor and bachelorette parties. I hope you enjoy.**

**I don't own it, but I wish I did.**

Sheldon woke up early on Thursday morning. He found himself wrapped around Amy's waist. He could still believe how well he slept with her next to him. He didn't think he would ever get used to it.

His mother had not been pleased to see one bed in their room the night before. He ignored her rants about sinning just days before the wedding. He remembered his Meemaw's exact words.

"Mary, your son is a grown man. He can do as he pleases. Don't make me remind you what I caught you and George doing on more than one occasion under my roof. Now leave these two kids alone."

And with that the matter had been dropped. Sheldon couldn't believe what his Meemaw had said as Amy laughed herself silly at the comments.

"Well it seems my mother will no longer be bringing up the subject of us sleeping together before marriage again." He said.

"I believe you are correct. But does it really matter because after tomorrow you will no longer be sinning before marriage. And no one will be able to tell you whom you can and cannot sleep in the same bed with. This is our last night as single people and the last we will be spending together before Friday night."

"Well when you put it like that, I believe we should take full advantage of the situation."

"What did you have in mind?" She asked him.

He showed her exactly what he had in mind as he dove in for a kiss. They spent most of the night just pleasing each other. They were quite sated by the time they fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms. Now as he looked at her as she slept he couldn't help but think how lucky he really was.

He carefully unwrapped himself from Amy and made his way to the bathroom. He came out to find she had rolled onto his side of the bed. And she was taking up quite a bit of her side as well. He wasn't sure how he could get back in without waking her up. He checked the time. It was only 6:15. He did not need to be up this early.

He tried to climb in the bed and make do with the space she had left for him. It started out okay until he rolled over and found himself face to face with the nightstand. He attempted to gently roll her over but he ended up waking her up.

"Sheldon what are you doing?" She asked groggily.

"Sorry, you were taking up the whole bed."

"What time is it?"

"It's only 6:30, go back to sleep."

She didn't need to be told twice and rolled over and went back to sleep. Sheldon wrapped his arm around her waist and the two were both sound asleep in no time. They both woke up some time later and got ready for breakfast.

The plan for the day was breakfast then the whole group was going to go to the Magic Kingdom. In the evening they would all have dinner. After dinner, the girls were taking Amy while the guys were in charge of Sheldon. The couple had no idea what was planned and were told they had no choice but to attend without complaint.

Everyone met for breakfast and then left for the park. Mary, Meemaw and the Fowlers decided they were not young at heart enough to go ride roller coasters so they decided to just go shopping at the Disney Village. They were all going to meet for dinner again later.

They all had a great time in the Magic Kingdom and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. The girls had decided to take Amy out for drinks while the guys were going to play Dungeons & Dragons back at the hotel.

"So who is staying where?" Mary asked. She had made it clear to Penny that Amy and Sheldon were to be separated the night before the wedding.

"Don't worry, Mary. I am staying with Penny tonight." Amy answered her.

"Although I am not happy about it one bit." Sheldon weighed in.

"Oh you will be fine." Amy said to him. "Besides after tomorrow you can sleep with me anytime you want."

"I suppose you are right." He said.

"You know I am; now go and have fun with the guys. I will see you tomorrow. I'll be the one in the white dress."

"I can't wait." He gave her a long kiss goodbye.

Penny cleared her throat a few minutes later.

"Um, if you two don't mind."

Amy gave him another quick kiss.

"I love you." He said to her.

"I love you too."

"Awwwww" Raj said. "They are so sweet."

"Okay girls, let's get going." Bernadette said.

They headed to Disney Boardwalk to enjoy the nightlife. Once they had a table and drinks in hand, the inquisition began.

"So how is it traveling with Dr. Whack-a-doodle?" Penny asked.

"Better than I thought. I was definitely skeptical at first. We have traveled together before but we have always had two rooms. He made it clear immediately we would be sharing a room. He really wanted to work through our issues. He also wanted to see our compatibility as roommates. I guess that worked out to his liking."

"I would say it did." Emily said.

"So you guys haven't fought? I think if Leonard and I were to go on this long of a vacation together we would get on each other's nerves."

"But I thought you guys were getting married. And aren't you moving in together?" Amy asked.

"Oh we are, but there is always somewhere to go if we get angry."

"Don't even think about coming to our place if you two fight." Amy said.

"No I don't mean that, although every once in a while it would be a good sanctuary. But no I mean we have cars. We can easily just take a drive around. We do that now sometimes. But being in the same room and same place 24/7 for a month, that may be a bit crazy at times. Where do you get away?"

"I went to the pool. Sheldon took a walk and would find a comic book store. But there was nothing major we got angry about, just a few minor bumps that we worked out."

"Well I'm sure making up was much better now too." Bernadette said.

"Yeah we need details about how that happened." Penny said.

Amy proceeded to tell the girls about how they started their intimacy journey from kissing and cuddling and sharing a bed to pleasuring each other and finally sex.

"So how was it?" Penny asked. "Did he know what he was doing?"

"All I am going to say is Sheldon does excel in everything he does." She answered.

"Good for you." Emily said.

The rest of the night was spent talking about other aspects of the trip. Amy told them all about the flirting waitress in Mt. Rushmore.

"So he actually noticed that a girl was flirting with him?" Penny asked astonished.

"Well she was really obvious, but it did surprise me that he noticed."

"What did he do about it?" Bernadette asked.

"Well he spoke to the manager. It turned out that it wasn't the first time she had done this to a customer. The manager fired her on the spot."

"Wow! Sheldon actually defending himself, I am impressed." Penny said.

"Well it made me feel good that he also defended me. That waitress was a real bitch. She acted as if I didn't even exist, but that Sheldon was the only man in the restaurant. Sheldon made me feel as though I was the most special person in the world."

"Awwwww." All three girls said at once.

The girls closed the bar down and then headed back to the hotel. Bernadette and Emily headed to their rooms, while Penny and Amy headed to Penny's.

"Don't forget we have hair and nail appointments at 11 tomorrow morning." Penny reminded Bernadette and Emily.

"Let's meet for breakfast at 10 again." Bernadette suggested.

They all then said their goodnights and headed into the rooms.

The boys went to Howard's room to play Dungeons & Dragons. Leonard knew this was the perfect activity for Sheldon as a bachelor party. He wasn't into the kind of things the other men would have wanted to do so this was the best alternative. It did not however, stop them from asking all types of questions.

"So Sheldon, tell us what it's like to not be a robot anymore." Howard joked.

"Howard, be nice." Raj said.

"After all the 'I'm better than my baser urges' speeches he gave us? If you think he will get away without a little bit of mocking, then you are crazy."

"I actually agree with Howard on this one." Leonard said. "He claimed he was a Homo Novus. Now it turns out he is actually a real red blooded man who gave into his baser urges. How does it feel to be wrong Sheldon?"

"Well I guess if I must be wrong about something…"

"If you must?" Howard asked incredulously. "Come on Sheldon, it's not a matter of if, it is you are wrong. I know you don' t normally accept this but in this case, you were wrong. Just admit it."

"Fine, I was wrong. I now understand the appeal of coitus."

"Well I'm proud of you. Not only are you admitting you are wrong, you are actually growing up. You never would have given in so quickly in the past. Amy has really had a big impact on you." Leonard commented.

"What can I say? I am a changed man."

"Weren't you going to break up with her because of how much she changed you?" Leonard asked.

"Well I was wrong. Amy is the best thing that has happened to me."

"Okay where is the real Sheldon Cooper. Did you hide him?" Howard asked.

"I am right here. Where did you think I would go?"

"That was sarcasm."

"Oh I thought I was getting the hang of that."

"Okay guys let's play some Dungeons & Dragons." Raj said.

They spent the rest of the night playing the game and even had time to play a few rounds of Mystic Warlords of Ka'a. They parted ways when Bernadette came back from girl's night. They had not realized how late it had gotten.

Bernadette told them that they were meeting at 10:00. The guys decided to meet at 10:45 so they would avoid the girls completely.

Before she fell asleep, Amy heard her phone beep. She picked up and saw a text from Sheldon.

_I hope you had a good night and I can't wait until tomorrow. Sleep well. I love you. S xox_

She sent him a quick text back.

_I love you too. I can't wait to be Mrs. Sheldon Cooper. Sweet Dreams. –A xxx._

They both fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

**Okay I hope you enjoyed that. Only two more chapters until our journey ends. Reviews are a welcome sight.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Okay this is the chapter about them getting ready. There will be only one more chapter after this as I am going to end with the wedding. I hope to do a sequel sometime in the future but I will be getting back to work soon and may not have time to write often. I have a few ideas in my head. Well enjoy...****  
**

**I don't own it...**

Friday morning started a little chaotic. The girls overslept and had to grab breakfast to go because they would have been late for their hair and nail appointment. They avoided the guys only because Bernadette had warned Howard not to bring Sheldon down until a bit later. Once they got their breakfast and had piled into the car, they were driving the few short miles to the salon when Amy realized she had forgotten the tiara. Luckily the salon was not too far from the hotel and they could still make it on time. Penny made a quick u-turn and once back at the hotel ran to her room to retrieve the tiara. After doing a quick check before leaving again the girls were on the road and made it to the salon with 5 minutes to spare.

The stylist loved Amy's hair. She gave her a partial up do with lots of curls in the back. It was the perfect style to match her tiara. Amy then had a French manicure on both her fingers and toes since she had been informed she was wearing open-toed shoes. Penny and Bernadette found the perfect shade to match the dresses. Emily was so grateful that the girls had included her as part of this day. She had only just met Sheldon and Amy as a couple two days prior. Sheldon wanted to include everyone while he was planning. Penny and Bernadette were bridesmaids and Howard and Leonard were the groomsmen. Raj was officiating so that left Emily. He had only met her once but had been told by Penny that she was fitting in nicely with the group. She told him to find a job she could do during the ceremony.

Sheldon didn't believe in God, but his mother and Meemaw did. He wanted to do something special for them during the service so he decided he would have their favorite Bible verses read during the ceremony. He thought this would please his mother and maybe even alleviate her fears about not having the marriage blessed by a church. So Sheldon had chosen two passages. The first was 1 Corinthians 13:4-14. This was his mother's favorite. She was always quoting it to him, especially the part about love being patient. Emily had agreed to read it for him.

Meemaw's favorite was Psalms 23. It was also his Pop Pop's favorite. He was going to read it and dedicate to his memory. If it hadn't been the love that Sheldon had witnessed between them he may never have had the nerve to ask Amy to marry him. He wanted what they had for him and Amy. Amy had not objected when Sheldon told her the reasons for the Bible passages. She thought it was sweet.

After the girls finished getting beautified, they headed back to the Magic Kingdom to get dressed. The ceremony was to take place at 2:00pm. The girls arrived at 1:15. This gave them plenty of time to get dressed. The park provided rooms for changing for both the men and women. This prevented them from having to walk through the park in a wedding gown or tuxedo.

Once they arrived, Penny and Bernadette quickly slipped into the lavender gowns they had picked. Amy absolutely loved them. They were knee length and had straps. This actually surprised Amy because she was sure they would go strapless. Once she saw how they looked on them though she knew they had made the right choice.

Amy had not thought about getting the girls gifts until she was already in Orlando. There had been no time on Monday or Tuesday when they spent all day and night at Universal Studios. She knew she needed to get them something on Wednesday and she was so lucky she found a jewelry shop in Epcot Center. She had picked out silver necklaces with Swarovski Crystals with earrings to match. She gave them to the girls before she was to get dressed.

"Oh Amy these are beautiful." Bernadette said as she opened her box and found the matching set. They would match the shoes the girls were wearing perfectly.

"I thought they were the perfect complement to the dresses and the shoes." They had decided to wear silver sandals to match the dress.

"They are." Penny said. "Now let's get you dressed. Your father will be here in 15 minutes."

Amy had seen pictures of her dress but it was even more spectacular in person. The girls had picked a ball gown style gown that had off the shoulder straps. It had beading throughout the bodice and an Empire waist. The gown fit perfectly. When she put it on, she felt like a princess. The tiara was a perfect match for the gown.

"Oh my God Amy, you look beautiful." Bernadette exclaimed.

"You really do." Emily said.

"Absolutely gorgeous." They all turned and Amy's father was standing in the doorway. "Sheldon is a lucky guy." He said. Her mother was standing just behind him and had tears in her eyes.

"Mom, don't cry. If you cry then I will cry, then I will ruin my makeup."

"It's just I can't believe my baby is getting married. It seems like just yesterday you were starting kindergarten." She said. "Now look at you. You're a princess. Your father is right, Sheldon is a lucky guy."

"Oh mom." Amy hugged her mother.

"Okay girls let's get a move on. We don't want the groom to think you've changed your mind." Jerry said to them.

The girls made their way out of the room and outside to the ceremony area.

Sheldon's morning started out like every other morning in his life. He was the first one awake. He was told he would have to go for food around 10:45 to avoid running into the girls. But seeing how it was now only 7:30, he figured he could go down and grab something to eat and not see anyone. He took a quick shower; he knew he would be taking another shower before he got dressed. He made his way down to breakfast where he met his mom and Meemaw.

"Shelly!" You're up early. I thought you would have a lie in after your night of games with the boys." Mary said to him.

"I'm always up early mom." He answered.

"How are you feeling this morning, moon pie?" Meemaw asked him.

"I feel terrific. The sun is shining and there doesn't appear to be a cloud in the sky. And most importantly, I am marrying the woman I love."

"I am so glad to hear that. I was worried you might get cold feet." She said to him.

"Why would you think that way?" He asked.

"Well it would be perfectly normal if you did. This is a big step."

"I suppose you are right and Amy did have a case of it the other day. But I am not nervous. I know I am doing the right thing."

"That's great moon pie and I am so happy for you. Amy is a wonderful girl. I can tell by the way you look at each other just how much in love you are."

"I love her very much."

They sat and talked for a while. They didn't notice the time ticking away until Mary's phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered. "Oh good morning Leonard. Yes he is with us having breakfast. Oh my, is it that late already? Well of course, I will send him right up."

"What's wrong?" Sheldon asked curiously.

"It seems we have let time get away from us. It is 10:00. Leonard was worried you ran away. He has been up for an hour. You seem to have forgotten your phone."

"Well I hadn't expected to run into anyone this morning."

"Well at any rate, you need to high tail it back to your room so you don't run into Amy when they come down for breakfast."

"I still don't understand why I can't see her."

"Sheldon Lee Cooper!" Mary yelled.

"Fine. I am going."

He made his way back up to his room. When he got there he found Howard and Raj had arrived.

"Good morning, gentlemen." He said upon entering his room.

"Sheldon, thank God. I thought you ran away." Leonard said.

"Well that is preposterous. Why would I run away?"

"Well when you weren't here when I woke up, I panicked. I waited an hour before calling your mom. I was worried you had cold feet."

"Funny my Meemaw asked the same thing."

"Well you have to admit you are a flight risk." Howard said.

"Howard!" Raj yelled.

"What did I say wrong? Didn't he prove that 4 weeks ago?"

"Yes but he didn't run from Amy, remember?"

"That is true." He agreed.

"I'm standing right here." Sheldon pointed out.

"Are you?" Howard asked.

"I would think you could see me."

"And I thought you were getting the hang of sarcasm." Leonard said laughing.

"I guess not." Howard said.

"Well at any rate, Raj is right. I didn't run from Amy. I brought her with me to work out our issues. And we have obviously grown closer, or we wouldn't be getting married."

"Okay you're right. Now we need to start getting ready. Then we should grab something to eat. We need to be at the park by 1:00. Leonard said.

Sheldon took another shower and shaved while the guys made sure they had everything ready. Leonard had to run back to the room to get the gift Amy had asked him to purchase. He ran into Penny as he was going inside.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I forgot the cufflinks, what about you? Shouldn't you be at the salon?"

"We have 10 minutes. Amy forgot her tiara."

"Oh well see you later."

Penny ran out of the room and headed back downstairs.

Leonard headed back to the room to find the guys all ready. They headed down and grabbed a bite to eat. Once they were finished eating, they still had an hour until they needed to be at the park, but they decided to head over early.

Leonard had gotten all the tuxedos and brought them from California. As the guys were getting ready, Leonard handed Sheldon a small box.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Amy asked me to give these to you. Now before you get upset about gift giving, she told me to tell you that this trip and wedding was all the gift she needed."

"Well seeing as I too got Amy a gift, the point seems moot."

"You got her a gift?"

"Why yes Leonard, do you think I don't know the simple social convention of buying the bride a gift? I bought her a charm bracelet with 4 charms."

"Have you given it to her?"

"I was planning on giving it to her during the reception."

"Oh well this is her gift to you."

Sheldon opened the box to find a set of cufflinks. On each one there was the lightning bolt symbol of the Flash.

"Wow where did she find these?"

"Actually she found them at Capitol Comics. She sent me a text saying she had ordered them and asked me to pick them up. She wanted to surprise you."

"Well I sure am surprised." He put them on his shirt. "They are perfect."

"I'm sure she will be thrilled you like them."

"I do. Now I have a gift for each of you guys." He said. He handed them each a box. "Now I know you will think they are old fashioned but I think every man should own one."

They each opened their box to find a pocket watch. They had been engraved with their names and the date of the wedding.

"Wow Sheldon, these are really nice. When did you have time to get these?" Leonard asked.

"I ordered them the same night as I ordered the wedding bands. I asked Penny to pick them up for me. She also picked up the bracelet. She gave them to me last night."

"Thanks buddy."

"Yeah thanks." Both Howard and Raj said. They actually really liked them.

"Okay let's get moving." Sheldon said.

The four men walked out into the ceremony space.

**I thought it would be nice if Sheldon did something during the wedding to make his mom and Meemaw proud. I know it is OOC for him to be okay with Bible verses but I liked the idea of it.**

**Next up the wedding.**


	28. Chapter 28

**I would like to thank all of you that have followed this journey since I started it. I love reading each and every one of your reviews. So here it is the final chapter...and as promised the wedding. This chapter is shorter but everything that needed to be said has been said.**** So enjoy the final part of Shamy's journey.  
**

**I don't own it.**

Raj led the way out followed by Sheldon, Leonard and finally Howard. Seated outside waiting were Mary, Meemaw, Emily and Sandy. But then Sheldon saw some more familiar faces. It seemed his siblings and their families had come to Disney to see their brother get married. He smiled when he saw them.

Once they were all in their respective places, Raj cued Emily to start the music. This drew a small crowd around the area. They were anxious to see the bride arrive. Bernadette walked in first, followed by Penny. Sheldon had been holding his breath in anticipation. He hadn't really seen the other girls walk in as he kept his head down. Raj nudged him slightly and he looked up. Sheldon couldn't believe his eyes. Amy was a vision. She looked absolutely stunning in her gown and the tiara was the perfect accent to the ball gown she was wearing.

Amy was nothing but smiles as she walked in to the ceremony space. She saw only Sheldon just feet away in his tuxedo and he took her breath away. She had seen him in a tux before but something about this one just stopped her in her tracks. Maybe because she knew he was wearing it just for her. She didn't know why, but she did love the way he looked.

When she reached him, her father kissed her on the cheek and shook Sheldon's hand. Sheldon took both of Amy's hands and smiled again.

"You look beautiful." He whispered.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She smiled.

They continued to stare at each other smiling. Finally Raj cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Can we begin?" He asked.

They nodded.

"We are all gathered on this day to witness the marriage of Sheldon Lee Cooper to Amy Farrah Fowler." He began. "Before they say their vows we have some special readings. Emily if you will."

Emily came up from her seat. She began reading from 1 Corinthians 13.

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

"Thank you Emily." Raj said.

Sheldon look out and say his mom and sister crying.

"I believe Sheldon has something he would like to read as well."

Sheldon stepped up to the microphone.

"I know I give my mom and Meemaw a hard time about church, but I wanted to do something special to show I do listen. The passage Emily read is my mom's favorite. She was always quoting it around me. I think it had to do with the love is patient part of it although she may never admit that to us kids."

"Oh yes I will." Mary said. Everyone laughed.

"Yes well this next passage was my Pop Pop's favorite as well as Meemaw's favorite. I want to dedicated this to them. If it wasn't for the example of love he showed for Meemaw, I may never had the nerve to propose to Amy."

This was followed by a chorus of Awwwwws from the group.

"So I would like to read Psalms 23 and dedicate it to Meemaw and Pop pop.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

"Thank you Sheldon." Raj said. "Now I believe you two have written your own vows."

When Amy had asked Sheldon about this he said he planned to write what he was going to say. She was surprised because she never thought he would want to do something so romantic. But he did, which meant she was going to have to write hers as well.

"Amy are you ready?"

_Okay I am going to do this without crying._ She thought to herself.

"Sheldon Lee Cooper, when I agreed to meet you in that coffee shop four years ago, I had no intention of it ever going past that first date. But you were so much different than every other guy. You didn't run away from me when I told you all forms of physical contact were off the table. You actually seemed excited by that. But somewhere along the way things changed. I slowly began to feel differently. Eventually it turned into love. I am not sure when it happened exactly but it did. I knew I loved you and that wasn't going to change. When you told me you loved me, I thought I was dreaming. I never imagined hearing those words from you. So now as I stand here today I realize just how much I really do love you and I will love you forever."

Sandy Fowler and Mary Cooper were crying. Jerry had tears in his eyes. Meemaw was smiling.

"Sheldon." Raj said to him

_Okay here goes nothing. _ He thought.

"Amy Farrah Fowler, almost two years ago when we were celebrating our anniversary, you told me to say something meaningful and from the heart or we were through. I remember clearly the words I said that day. They were: 'Amy, when I look into your eyes and you are looking back in mine, everything feels not quite normal because I feel stronger and weaker at the same time. I feel excited and at the same time terrified. The truth is I don't know what I feel except I know what kind of man I want to be.' I know it was from _Spiderman_ and you accepted it. After really thinking about the meaning of those words, I began to believe them to be true. I do know what kind of man I want be. I want to be better for you. You have changed me in so many ways and I love you for that. You are the most intelligent woman I have ever met. You make me a better man and I will love you forever."

"Can we have the rings?" Raj asked.

Penny and Leonard handed Raj the rings.

"Sheldon take this ring and place it on Amy's finger and say 'With this ring I thee wed.'"

Sheldon took the ring and placed it on her finger and repeated the line.

"Now Amy you take the ring, place it on Sheldon's finger and say 'With this ring I thee wed.'"

Amy did as requested.

"So by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Sheldon pulled Amy to him and captured her lips with his.

The group clapped and cheered as the couple kissed. When they broke apart, Raj proclaimed:

"May I present to you Dr. and Dr. Sheldon Cooper." They all cheered again.

The reception was small but fun. It lasted several hours. Sheldon and Amy danced to _The Way you Look Tonight._ They all had a wonderful time. Leonard and Penny both gave speeches. Even Sheldon stood up to thank everyone for coming, especially his siblings and their families. He then presented Amy with the gift.

"What's this?" She asked when he handed her the box.

"Open it." He answered.

She opened the box and saw a charm bracelet. On it, there was a monkey, a koala, a brain and an atom.

"It's beautiful." She said to him.

"What is that?" Bernadette asked curiously.

Amy showed her. "Wow that is really pretty."

The girls all admired the bracelet.

"I have a question." Emily said.

"Yes?" Amy said.

"What do the charms symbolize? I mean I understand the monkey. It's your favorite animal. I understood that by where he proposed but what about the others?"

"The brain is for my study of neurobiology. I am often found cutting open brains. The atom represents Sheldon's study of physics and the koala is his favorite animal when we go to the zoo."

"I can't believe my brother is such a romantic." Missy said. "But what about a rocket for rocket science?"

"For the last time I am not a rocket scientist!" Sheldon yelled at her as he rejoined the girls.

"That was sarcasm." Amy pointed out.

"Oh well. Now if you don't mind I would like to get one more dance with my wife before we leave for the night." He pulled her onto the makeshift dance floor they had created in the pavilion.

As they slowly danced, Sheldon said to her "Have I said thank you?"

"For what?"

"For everything, first for being my friend, then my girlfriend then for coming with me on this journey. Finally for loving me enough to marry me."

"I should be thanking you for the same things."

"I love you Amy Fowler-Cooper."

"I love you Sheldon Cooper."

And with that he pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

**The Bible passages were copied from and were the NIV versions so if you know them differently that may be why.**

**I hope to post a few follow up one or two shots for when they get back to normal and I hope I can maybe get a sequel to come out as well. So many thanks to those of you who have stuck with this story.**


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